Qantas Group Reveals Senior Management Shake-Up
The Qantas Group has announced a shake-up to its senior management team as it prepares for the departure of long-standing CEO Alan Joyce in November.
The Qantas Group has announced a shake-up to its senior management team as it prepares for the departure of long-standing CEO Alan Joyce in November.
DALLAS - As part of its CEO transition and ongoing commitment to renewal, the Qantas Group has announced several changes to the staff of its Group Management Committee.
These include senior appointments to positions left vacant by promotions and retirements and structural adjustments to sharpen the focus on high-investment areas like human resources and customer experience.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
After serving as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Vanessa Hudson takes on the position of Qantas Group CEO and becomes the airline's first female CEO, succeeding Alan Joyce. Ms Hudson began her career with Qantas in 1994 and has held several executive positions.
Chief People Officer (CPO)
With the Group expecting to add 8,500 new positions in Australia over the next ten years and increase training as it receives new aircraft, the Chief People Officer role was established to combine the human resources and industrial relations roles. The search for this position is still underway.
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Rob Marcolina, who currently holds the role of Qantas Group Executive of Strategy Officer, will be the new CFO, previously held by Vanessa Hudson.
The CFO will be in charge of strategy and transformation as well. Rob joined the Qantas Group in 2012 and actively participated in critical decisions about capital allocation, business strategy, and change.
CEO of Qantas Domestic
Markus Svensson, a current Chief Customer Officer, has taken the role of CEO of Qantas Domestic. Markus has been with the Australian flag carrier for over ten years and has experience across revenue management, network, sales, alliances, offshore operations and strategy.
This position will be left vacant following the retirement of Andrew David in September.
Chief Customer and Digital Officer
The Chief Customer and Digital Officer position is taken by Catriona Larritt, who has been with the Group since 2015.
Catriona will be added with responsibility for Technology in the portfolio to reflect the role of digital in improving customer experience. Catriona is currently Qantas Freight's Executive Manager and was formerly Jetstar's Chief Commercial Officer.
CEO of QantasLink
After over 25 years in various capacities within the Qantas Group, the current CEO of QantasLink, John Gissing, leaves this position vacant in November. However, John will still serve as the Group CEO's advisor for another year.
An executive recruitment process is now underway to fill this job, which is accountable for regional and some charter market operations.
Chief Risk Officer
The Qantas Group recently created the position of Chief Risk Officer, intending to integrate risk management for the Group and provide the highest level of oversight and control.
Andrew Monaghan, a current Qantas executive and executive manager of safety, will take the role. In his 17-year career at the Group, Andrew has held audit and human resources positions in addition to his Chief Operating Officer duties for Qantas and QantasLink.
Once finalized, announcements on appointments to open posts will be made. When Vanessa Hudson assumes the job of Group CEO in November 2023, all of these top executive positions will directly report to her.
CEO-designate Vanessa Hudson said the changes bring renewal but also achieve a level of continuity.
“We have a deep bench of experience at Qantas, which means we’re able to recruit internally for many senior executive roles when they come up, and that makes the transition a lot smoother," Ms Hudson said.
“The structural changes announced today are about increasing our focus on a few key areas as we move from recovery to growth, especially when it comes to things that matter most to our people and our customers.
“We have a lot of expansion planned in the years ahead and that will translate into thousands of new frontline jobs and millions of hours of training. Keeping our team engaged and supporting them to deliver for our customers is critical, and so is the dedicated Chief People Officer role."
“Investing in digital is a huge part of our plans to keep improving customer experience. Through the website and app, we can put a lot of power in people’s hands to control their journey and access real time information. That’s why we are adding responsibility for Technology to the Chief Customer Officer’s portfolio."
Hudson continued, “The success of our recovery plans means we’re in a strong position, and that will only stay true if we get the balance right for our customers, people and shareholders in the years ahead.
“On behalf of the Group, I’d like to sincerely thank John Gissing for his massive contribution over nearly 25 years with us and almost 40 years in Australian aviation. We’re fortunate to have access to his experience as an adviser after he formally retires from his current role at the end of this year.”
From July forward, the Qantas Group Management Committee (GMC) will gradually adopt this new structure, which will be fully operational by November of this year:
Group CEO – Vanessa Hudson
General Counsel and Group Executive, Office of the CEO – Andrew Finch
Chief Customer and Digital Officer – Catriona Larritt
Chief Financial Officer – Rob Marcolina
Chief Corporate Affairs Officer – Andrew McGinnes
Chief Risk Officer – Andrew Monaghan
Chief Sustainability Officer – Andrew Parker
Qantas Domestic CEO – Markus Svensson
Jetstar CEO – Stephanie Tully
Qantas International CEO – Cam Wallace
Qantas Loyalty CEO – Olivia Wirth
Chief People Officer – (Recruitment underway)
QantasLink CEO – (Recruitment underway)
https://airwaysmag.com/former-american-airlines-executive-doug-parker-joins-qantas/
Featured Image: VH-VXB 'Yananyi' Qantas Boeing 737-800. Photo: Zixu Li/Airways.
