Qantas appoints Vanessa Hudson as first female CEO to replace Alan Joyce who is stepping down after 15 years
- Hudson, 53, who is currently the chief financial officer, will take over from Joyce in November
- Hudson beat almost 40 other candidates from around the world, most of them men, according to chairman Richard Goyder
Qantas Airways named Vanessa Hudson as its first female CEO, handing her the task of rebuilding the 103-year-old airline’s battered reputation.
Hudson, who has worked at Qantas for almost three decades and is currently chief financial officer, will assume the top job in November. CEO Alan Joyce, one of aviation’s longest-serving and highest-profile leaders, is stepping down after 15 years in the role.
Hudson, 53, will be handed an airline delivering record profits amid surging demand for air travel after Covid-19. Yet she also inherits strained ties with union leaders angered by Joyce’s job cuts, and bruised relations with passengers fed up with pandemic-related cancellations, delays, lost luggage and high ticket prices.
Qantas shares dropped 2.2 per cent to A$6.59 at 12pm in Sydney, valuing the airline at A$12 billion (US$8 billion).
Hudson started with Qantas in 1994 as an internal auditor before becoming catering product manager three years later. She has since held leadership positions in commercial planning and sales and distribution. She was the airline’s chief customer officer before the pandemic.
