Qantas Announces Vanessa Hudson As Next CEO
First female to lead the group
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Qantas will be led for the first time by a female, with Vanessa Hudson announced as the group’s next chief executive and managing director.
Ms Hudson will take over from Alan Joyce when he retires in November and becomes the company’s 13th CEO in its 103-year history.
Ms Hudson currently serves as the Qantas’ chief financial officer (CFO) and has worked in a number of executive positions in her 28 years for the group including, chief customer officer and senior vice president for Qantas across the Americas and New Zealand.
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Putting an end to speculation of Qantas’ succession plan, chairman Richard Goyder said Ms Hudson’s appointment was made following a “rigorous selection progress.”
“Vanessa has a deep understanding of this business after almost three decades in a range of roles both onshore and offshore, across commercial, customer and finance. She has a huge amount of airline experience and she’s an outstanding leader,” Mr Goyder said in a statement.
“For the past five years, Vanessa has had a direct hand in shaping our strategy as a member of the Group Management Committee, and her handling of the finance and treasury portfolio during the COVID crisis was outstanding.
“A key strength of Qantas is the sheer depth of talent it has, and Vanessa will be supported by a deep bench of executives across the organisation as well as by the Board.”
In the same statement, Ms Hudson said it was an “absolute honour” to be asked to lead Qantas.
“This is an exceptional company full of incredibly talented people and it’s very well positioned for the future. My focus will be delivering for those we rely on and who rely on us –our customers, our employees, our shareholders and the communities we serve,” she said.
An announcement on the company’s replacement for CFO will be made in “months ahead.”
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