Connecting North America: Keith Creel of CPKC

When the last spike was driven into the Canadian Pacific Railway track on November 7th, 1885 in British Columbia, CP became the first transcontinental railway to connect Canada from east to west. Last April, the iconic Canadian company marked another first, when – in Kansas City, Missouri – a ceremonial final spike connected Canadian Pacific with Kansas City Southern. The new railway, now named CPKC, became the first and only single-line railway connecting Canada, the United States and Mexico. It stretches across more than 32,000 kilometers of track and employs 20,000 people. “This company is not new to change,” says Keith Creel, CPKC President and CEO. “We're ready for it and we're going to embrace it and unlock some unique opportunities that our network has created for us.”In an interview with Goldy Hyder on the Speaking of Business podcast, Creel discusses the benefits of the new North American line and delves into some of the challenges of operating across three countries.“We're going to celebrate the things that are similar, we're going to recognize the differences, we're going to never compromise our principles and we're going to create a common culture that I call a constant pursuit of safety and operational excellence," he says.Listen to the full interview, including what military service taught him about leadership, on the Speaking of Business podcast. Revealing conversations with influential innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders. Listen to more episodes here: thebusinesscouncil.ca/podcasts/