“It was a very lucky day for me and for Berkshire Hathaway when I met Matt Rose,” says Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway. “Under Matt’s management, BNSF has become a major source of profit and pride for Berkshire. And, as a citizen, Matt has been an exemplar for corporate leadership.”
Rose’s tenure is characterized by his commitment to growth with customers, achieving productivity especially through technological advancement, and developing BNSF’s employees. As a key part of employee development, Rose oversaw the design of the BNSF Leadership Model in 2000 and successfully institutionalized it to forge a cohesive BNSF corporate culture. Through the Leadership Model, BNSF has developed the leadership of teams and individuals across the company throughout the years, making BNSF more successful and resilient.
Rose’s commitment to safety and productivity is best demonstrated through his focus on technology. BNSF’s leadership in train control implementation, and other technologies, will change the industry for decades to come.
Rose has advocated at every point in his career that customer service is what drives profitability, the virtuous cycle of reinvestment, and provides the public license to operate. Rose understood the importance of and navigated public policy for the benefit of BNSF and the industry throughout his career.
“I have been incredibly fortunate to work alongside some of the most talented people in the transportation industry,” Rose says. “Through my 26 years at BNSF — 19 in leadership — I have seen enormous change in our economy. Our company has navigated those changes well and now is extremely well positioned for the next several decades. It has been an honor to lead this organization, as a publicly traded company and also as part of [Berkshire Hathaway].”
— A BNSF Railway news release. Oct. 3, 2018.
