The head of Calgary-based Canadian Pacific Kansas City saw a big jump in pay last year.
Keith Creel, head of Canada’s second-biggest railway, received total compensation of $20.1 million, up 38 per cent from the previous year.
CPKC’s five top officers, including Creel, earned $63.5 million overall in 2023 compared with less than half that amount the previous year.
The boost stemmed largely from share-based awards and cash bonuses.
It was a historic year for the company as it completed the merger of its operations with Kansas City Southern, a former U.S.-based railway, purchased in 2021.
The company touted the merger as making Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) the first single-line railway connecting the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
At rival Canadian National Railway Co., total compensation for its six senior executives decreased three per cent to $29.6 million, mainly due to lower bonuses after the Montreal-based company fell short of performance targets.
CEO Tracy Robinson’s total compensation was $14 million.
— with files from The Canadian Press