OREANDA-NEWS. Canadian Pacific announced that Jeffrey J. Ellis has been appointed Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary effective December 1, 2015, replacing Paul Guthrie, who will retire in the first quarter of 2016.

Guthrie is appointed Special Counsel to the CEO to support the transition and will assume his new responsibilities and title when Ellis joins CP.

"I'd like to thank Paul for his more than 25 years of dedicated service to CP. Paul is not only an outstanding general counsel and executive, but also a good friend to me and the entire executive team and we are pleased he will be here to assist in a smooth transition," said E. Hunter Harrison, CP Chief Executive Officer. "Jeff has all the qualities we look for in a Chief Legal Officer and we are confident he will fit right in and provide immediate results. We all look forward to working with him over the long term."

Ellis joins CP from BMO Financial Group where he had been Executive Vice President, U.S. General Counsel. Ellis, who brings extensive legal knowledge in both Canada and the U.S. to his role at CP, will report directly to Mark Wallace, Vice President Corporate Affairs and Chief of Staff.

"I am extremely proud to join CP and look forward to assisting Hunter and the rest of the team in the company's transformation," said Ellis. "My previous and varied experience - on both sides of the border - will serve me well in this role and I look forward to hitting the ground running."

Guthrie, who joined CP in 1990, has served as Chief Legal Officer since 2012 and was Vice President of Legal Affairs from 2002 to 2012.

"Congratulations to Jeff on his appointment. He is joining an outstanding executive team at CP, at a time when the transformation under Hunter's inspirational leadership continues apace," said Guthrie. "I have enjoyed my professional and personal journey with this iconic company tremendously and I leave wishing every success to the hard working railroaders I have been proud to serve."