Vena, who will take the top job on Aug. 14, started his career in 1976 and was in the reckoning to lead Canadian National Railway Co (CNR.TO) after investors backed him for the role.
He has worked under the late Hunter Harrison at Canadian National, who pioneered Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR), which is commonly used across the industry today.
Union Pacific, which connects 23 states in the western part of the country by rail, also elected Mike McCarthy as its board chairman.
The company reported second-quarter profit of $2.54 per share, missing analysts' average estimate of $2.75 per share, according to Refinitiv IBES data, as its shipments fell.
The railroad industry has been struggling with railcar shortages resulting in shipment delays and supply-chain disruptions.
Persons:
Jim Vena, Lance Fritz, Vena, Hunter Harrison, Fritz, Mike McCarthy, Nathan Gomes, Amna, Anil D'Silva, Vinay Dwivedi
Organizations:
Union Pacific Corp, Wednesday, U.S ., Canadian National Railway Co, Canadian National, Soroban Capital Partners, Union Pacific, Thomson
Locations:
Bengaluru