Cliff Mackay is the new President and CEO of the Railway Association of Canada, effective May 1.

Mackay has extensive experience in government and industry at a senior level, recently as President of the Air Transport Association of Canada and a board member of NAV Canada. In the past, he served as a senior executive in the aerospace industry and was in leadership positions with the federal government for more than 20 years dealing with industry and economic development.

The announcement was made today by Sean Finn, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the RAC and Senior Vice-president, Public Affairs, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of Canadian National Railway. "Mr. Mackay is a proven leader with energy, and is very results-oriented," said Mr. Finn.

Mackay said he is excited to be joining a first-class organization. He said he looks forward to working with government, the industry and other stakeholders in ensuring Canada's railways play an active role in meeting the nation's future needs and challenges in transportation, in both domestic and international markets.

Among other awards, Mackay is a recipient of the C.D. Howe Award for his contributions to industrial policy, has a B.A. (Honours) in Economics and History from the University of New Brunswick and a M.A. in Economics from McMaster University. He is a native of Winnipeg.

The RAC represents the 58 freight and passenger railways operating in Canada today. They move two-thirds of the freight in Canada, and 60 million passengers annually.