CP's Nadeem Velani named Canada's CFO Of The Year™

CALGARY, March 9, 2020

"Our family of 13,000 railroaders celebrates this accomplishment with Nadeem," said Keith Creel, CP President and CEO. "Over my 28 years of railroading, I have never met a CFO like Nadeem – his influence goes well beyond our company's impressive numbers and into our most important asset, our people. Every day he and his team practice the fundamentals of precision scheduled railroading, drawing out discretionary effort and high performance. We could not be prouder of him and his team."

In 2019, CP produced industry-leading volume growth, reported record margins and grew earnings at a double-digit rate. It was a record year by many financial measures. CP's share price appreciated 37 percent, outperforming the TSX by 18 points. Since Velani was appointed CFO, CP has built a strong track record of performance. Over the last three years, CP's diluted earnings per share have grown 65 percent and adjusted diluted earnings per share have grown 60 percent¹, cash provided by operating activities has improved by 43 percent and free cash has increased by 35 percent¹, dividends have grown by 66 percent, and its market cap has grown by approximately $18 billion. For Velani, however, it's the team and their performance that is most impressive.

"This is an incredible honour, but it is a team award," Velani said. "Our incredible finance team has grown and evolved over the last four years, moving from a pure support function to a department that drives strategic decisions and enables results. Awards like this are also not possible without the efforts of our broader CP family – the men and women who safely and efficiently move our customers' freight. I am forever grateful for the efforts of the entire CP family and am humbled by this honour." 

Velani joined CP in March 2013 and served as Vice-President Investor Relations before becoming CFO in September 2016. Prior to CP, Velani spent 15 years at Canadian National (CN) where he worked in a variety of positions in Strategic and Financial Planning, Investor Relations, Sales and Marketing and the Office of the President and CEO.  Velani is a key member of CP's senior management team responsible for helping plan the long-term strategic direction of the company. Other responsibilities include financial planning, investor relations, reporting and accounting systems as well as pension, treasury and tax. He is also championing the growth of employees across the organization through his position as Chair of CP's Leadership Steering Committee.

For more information on the award, visit Canada's CFO Of The Year™ website.