Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has fallen on his sword after a torrid week for the Australian airline in which it was swamped by a tsunami of complaints that it had failed its customers.
Joyce was due to depart in November, but his immediate resignation propels current Qantas chief financial officer Vanessa Hudson into the role of managing director and group CEO two months earlier than planned.
In announcing his immediate departure, Joyce acknowledged that “the company needs to move ahead with its renewal as a priority”.
The best thing I can do under these circumstances is to bring forward my retirement and hand over to Vanessa and the new management team now, knowing they will do an excellent job.”
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce (left) resigns, leading to CFO Vanessa Hudson (right) taking over two months earlier than planned.
Chief among the issues facing Qantas is an allegation by Australia’s consumer watchdog, The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) believes that the national carrier had “engaged in false, misleading or deceptive conduct” by selling sale tickets for more than 8000 already-cancelled flights between May and July last year”.
Joyce, who spent 22 years at Qantas, including 15 years as CEO, said he had “plenty to be proud of “during his time at the airline.
He added, “There have been many ups and downs, and there is clearly much work still to be done, especially to make sure we always deliver for our customers. But I leave knowing that the company is fundamentally strong and has a bright future.”
In a statement, Australian Travel Industry Association CEO Dean Long said, “ATIA looks forward to working with new CEO Vanessa Hudson and her team. It’s important we have a positive, collaborative relationship to support travelling Australians.
“In the current year, one third of our clients flew with Qantas domestically and internationally, representing nearly A$3 billion of Australians’ money spent on air travel. We look forward to working collaboratively to support these travellers and our businesses for mutual success."