New Chief Executive of QANTAS

[Greg McDonald]

From News.com.au:

QANTAS has named Alan Joyce, the head of its Jetstar offshoot, as chief executive of the airline group.
Mr Joyce becomes chief executive designate from today and will take over when outgoing chief Geoff Dixon steps down after the company's annual general meeting in November.

Qantas (qan.ASX:Quote,News) chairman Leigh Clifford said Mr Joyce was an outstanding executive with wide experience in all facets of the airline industry.

"Alan will assume the role of chief executive designate from today and will also join the board of Qantas with immediate effect,'' he said.

"Geoff and Alan will work together over the next four months to ensure a smooth transition and continuity.''

Mr Dixon will remain available to Qantas on a consulting basis until March 31 next year.

Mr Joyce has been with Qantas since 2000.

He previously worked for the defunct domestic carrier Ansett and Ireland's Aer Lingus in senior management roles.

"Alan is, we believe, the best person to take Qantas forward in what is a very challenging environment,'' Mr Clifford said.

Mr Clifford praised Mr Dixon, who he said had led Qantas through numerous challenges since his appointment as chief executive in 2000.

"Qantas has successfully adapted and responded to the myriad challenges the industry has faced since 2001 and is duly recognised as one of the best managed airlines in the world,'' he added.

Meanwhile, it's been revealed that US authorities ordered airlines to check on-board oxygen cylinders just months before a huge hole was torn in a Qantas jumbo jet in mid-air on Friday, nearly causing a disaster.

Officials said an oxygen back-up cylinder is missing from the aircraft, and have ordered Qantas to inspect all such bottles on its fleet of Boeing 747s.

The Qantas Boeing 747 was flying from Hong Kong to Melbourne on Friday when an explosive bang led to a sudden loss of air pressure in the cabin.

The plane, which had originated in London and was carrying 365 passengers and crew, plunged 6,000 metres before stabilising, then made an emergency landing in the Philippines capital Manila.

An investigator from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, Neville Blyth, told reporters in Manila yesterday that an oxygen back-up cylinder was missing.

"It is too early to say whether this was the cause of the explosion,'' Mr Blyth said. "But one of the cylinders which provides back-up oxygen is missing.''

He said investigators had ruled out terrorism.

An initial inquiry would take two to three days and a preliminary report on the findings should be released in two to three months.

Qantas shares closed at $3.49 on Friday.

[Montague S]

not sure that I like battons being handed over without proper analysis being completed, if Joyce runs the show anything like Dixon then the roo will probably face bumpy skies.

[Rhys Xanthis]

How do you know a proper analysis hasn't been completed Montague?

Would a huge company like Qantas hand over the reigns of the entire company to an incapable person?

I don't think so!

edit: Bahh for cadel :(

[Andrew P]

not sure that I like battons being handed over without proper analysis being completed, .

do you know something we don't, has not the Qantas board gone through due diligence in appointing Joyce?

Banjo

[Montague S]

its an inhouse appointment Rhys, how do you know that all the best from across the globe have been scrutinised?

who's Joyce been guided by in his time at Jetstar & how QF operates? Dixon I suspect, how will Joyce run Qantas? same way Dixon has I suspect. seems logical to me that they'd keep things in a similar vein & that means bringing someone in who knows how Dixon operates or at the very least is prepared to operate in a similar fashion.

Qantas Board Announces CEO Succession Latest News

Sydney, 28 July 2008

The Chairman of Qantas Airways Limited, Mr Leigh Clifford, announced today that Alan Joyce would become Chief Executive Officer of Qantas upon the retirement of Geoff Dixon.

Mr Clifford said Mr Joyce, currently Chief Executive Officer of Qantas subsidiary airline Jetstar, was an outstanding executive with wide experience in all facets of the airline industry.

"Alan will assume the role of Chief Executive Designate from today and will also join the Board of Qantas with immediate effect."

Mr Clifford said Geoff Dixon would step down as Qantas Chief Executive after Qantas' Annual General Meeting on 28 November 2008.

"Geoff and Alan will work together over the next four months to ensure a smooth transition and continuity.

"Geoff will remain available to Qantas on a consulting basis until 31 March 2009."

Mr Clifford said Alan Joyce had been employed with the Qantas Group since 2000 and had previously worked for Ansett and Aer Lingus in senior management roles (see biography).

"Alan is, we believe, the best person to take Qantas forward in what is a very challenging environment.

"He will be ably supported by what the Board and I regard as a very talented team of managers throughout the Qantas Group."

Mr Clifford praised Geoff Dixon who he said, together with his team, has led Qantas through numerous challenges since his appointment as Chief Executive in 2000.

"Qantas has successfully adapted and responded to the myriad challenges the industry has faced since 2001 and is duly recognised as one of the best managed airlines in the world."

Biography - Alan Joyce

Alan Joyce is 42 years of age and has 20 years of experience in the aviation industry. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Jetstar in October 2003.

Prior to his appointment at Jetstar, Alan spent over 15 years in leadership positions for full service carriers Qantas, Ansett and Aer Lingus.

At both Qantas and Ansett, he led the Network Planning, Schedules Planning and Network Strategy functions. Prior to this, Alan spent eight years at Aer Lingus, Ireland's national carrier. Here he held a number of roles in Sales, Marketing, IT, Network Planning, Operations Research, Revenue Management and Fleet Planning.

As Chief Executive Officer of Jetstar, Alan's leadership has been internationally recognised. This year he won the Centre for Asia Pacific's (CAPA) Low Cost Carrier CEO of the Year award and Airline Business Magazine's Low Cost Leadership award and last year he won the Australian Airports Association award for personality of the year. In Jetstar's four year history, he has led the carrier to win CAPA's Low Cost Airline of the Year Award twice in 2005 and 2007 and Skytrax's award for Low Cost Carrier of the Year 2007, Best Low Cost Carrier Australia/Pacific 2007 and Best Cabin Crew Australia/New Zealand 2007. The carrier also won Airline Business Strategy Award for Operations in 2007.

Alan has been a member of the Qantas Executive Committee since October 2003 and a Director of both Jetstar Asia and Jetstar Pacific (Vietnam).

Born in Dublin, Alan moved to Australia in 1996 and now holds both Australian and Irish citizenship. He was educated in Ireland and has an Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Science (Physics and Mathematics) and a Master of Science degree in Management Science, both awarded by the University of Dublin (Trinity College). Alan is also a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

Issued by Qantas Corporate Communication (3749)

http://www.qantas.com.au/regions/dyn/au/publicaffairs/details?ArticleID=2008/jul08/3749

[Montague S]

do you know something we don't, has not the Qantas board gone through due diligence in appointing Joyce?

Banjo

why not Borghetti or Gregg then? I suspect its because they'd operate different to Dixon, whereas Joyce would be the most similar.

I think he's been groomed for this position long before now.

[Lukas M]

Well done to Joyce, great person for the role!

Now for the new Jetstar CEO.....

[Sarah C]

Great choice in my opinion - I have a lot of time for Joyce and the way he operates. I know a lot of people will fear that QF will become JQ but I doubt it will happen.

Interesting to see what happens with Gregg and Borghetti. Gregg might walk and Borghetti has been there for a long time. If they were going to become CEO, this was thier chance.

The replacement at JQ will be interesting too - no obvious names stick out.

Gotta say the timing of this is really odd!

[Daniel M]

Unfortunately, I fear this is is the end of Qantas as we know it, and feel deeply for the QF boys and girls. With oil prices hitting the roof and carriers looking to cut costs in any way, my best guess would be that Qantas mainline is finished with, and will slowly be morphed into a mirror of JQ, if not JQ itself, with the main part of Qantas covering the high-profit international routes. Makes sense, to run the majority of your airline as low-cost, paying your staff half the rates, and squeezing more punters into the planes to pay the bills.

Just my thoughts from observations...

[Montague S]

Great choice in my opinion - I have a lot of time for Joyce and the way he operates. I know a lot of people will fear that QF will become JQ but I doubt it will happen.

Interesting to see what happens with Gregg and Borghetti. Gregg might walk and Borghetti has been there for a long time. If they were going to become CEO, this was thier chance.

The replacement at JQ will be interesting too - no obvious names stick out.

Gotta say the timing of this is really odd!

will Gregg & Borghetti actually work with Joyce? rumours were that they refuse to work under him..I tend to agree with Daniel on this, it will be high profit routes for QF & the rest for Jetstar.

[Michael Morrison]

Monty - QF have made it clear it owuld be an internal appointment for a while now and it was always between those 3.

Unlike some here, I will have confidence that the QF board have appointed the right person for the job.

Also, just because he has come from JQ does not mean he is going to turn QF into JQ. Now he also must be doing something right as JQ employees tend to have better moral than QF.... lets hope he can bring that across with him.

I think the guy also has more personality than the other 2 and he has obviously shown he has more potential than them as well.

Interesting they bring out the news today - I presume it is to take the ocnversaiton of their 744 incident

[Sarah C]

will Gregg & Borghetti actually work with Joyce? rumours were that they refuse to work under him..I tend to agree with Daniel on this, it will be high profit routes for QF & the rest for Jetstar.

I doubt it Monty - I think both will walk, but they might not stay in the industry. I would be very surprised if they stay - they have publicly stated thier goal to become the CEO and this was their chance.

[James K]

I think JB would have been a much better appointment imho. God forbid we will all be doing the JQ jump in the future :rolleyes:

[Marty H]

Unfortunately, I fear this is is the end of Qantas as we know it, and feel deeply for the QF boys and girls. With oil prices hitting the roof and carriers looking to cut costs in any way, my best guess would be that Qantas mainline is finished with, and will slowly be morphed into a mirror of JQ, if not JQ itself, with the main part of Qantas covering the high-profit international routes. Makes sense, to run the majority of your airline as low-cost, paying your staff half the rates, and squeezing more punters into the planes to pay the bills.

Just my thoughts from observations...

Agree, they will be painting the aircraft into JQ colours faster than you can say silver and orange.

[Matthew Chisholm]

At 42 he might be around for a while.

[Sarah C]

At 42 he might be around for a while.

True, but Gregg is only 48 and Borghetti would be mid 40's. Dixon was seen as "old" when he was appointed at 60 and yet he will retire a month short of his 69th's birthday.

[Edward Terry]

I think JB would have been a much better appointment imho.

Do you mean the Captain of QF30 :)? Many are touting him as a hero but to fast-track him to the top job...?

[Philip Argy]

Agree, they will be painting the aircraft into JQ colours faster than you can say silver and orange.

I disagree with both Marty and Daniel. There is definitely a place for a business class/economy class domestic and three class international airline. Whilst some lessons from JQ may be of use in running the economy side of the show, it would kill the premium revenue for Qantas to leave its first/business class pax disgruntled with an inferior offering. I think that's a highly unlikely scenario.

I'm not selling my tiny QF shareholding just yet!

[Rhys Xanthis]

Do you mean the Captain of QF30 :)? Many are touting him as a hero but to fast-track him to the top job...?

I think he means John Borghetti;)

I disagree with both Marty and Daniel. There is definitely a place for a business class/economy class domestic and three class international airline. Whilst some lessons from JQ may be of use in running the economy side of the show, it would kill the premium revenue for Qantas to leave its first/business class pax disgruntled with an inferior offering. I think that's a highly unlikely scenario.

I'm not selling my tiny QF shareholding just yet!

I dont think we will see anything to the like of JQ influencing QF's ops in a big way. Like Phillip, i agree that their is a place, always has been and probably always will be a placae for a more premium service airline in the domestic sector. Premium classes are where QF makes a fair amount of money, so you could say it would stay that way.

Personally, i doubt we will ever see QF turning into JQ, whether Alan Joyce the head or someone else. They are a premium airline who would like to stay that way i believe, and that was probably indicated to Alan in the lead up to his appointment by Geoff Dixon.

While no doubt some lessons of economy class runnings may be of benefit to QF, i doubt we will ever see a big consolidation. Look at UA - they created a low cost offshoot, became profitable, and they shut it down to absorb the aircraft - now UA's future is looking pretty grim. As much as UA needed Ted, i think Qantas need the premium customers just the same.

Rhys

[Michael Morrison]

I think JB would have been a much better appointment imho. God forbid we will all be doing the JQ jump in the future :rolleyes:


Just because he comes from JQ doesnt mean he will turn QF into a LCC. He has worked at full service airlines QF, AN, EI before going to JQ!

I am confidant (as Im sure the QF board are) that he will continue with their 2 carrier strategy. JQ have been growing and QF have been improving their premium offerings (lounges, onboard etc). Can't see why this won't continue - albeit with a younger and possibily more energetic leader.

[Daniel M]

I think he means John Borghetti;)



I dont think we will see anything to the like of JQ influencing QF's ops in a big way. Like Phillip, i agree that their is a place, always has been and probably always will be a placae for a more premium service airline in the domestic sector. Premium classes are where QF makes a fair amount of money, so you could say it would stay that way.

Personally, i doubt we will ever see QF turning into JQ, whether Alan Joyce the head or someone else. They are a premium airline who would like to stay that way i believe, and that was probably indicated to Alan in the lead up to his appointment by Geoff Dixon.

While no doubt some lessons of economy class runnings may be of benefit to QF, i doubt we will ever see a big consolidation. Look at UA - they created a low cost offshoot, became profitable, and they shut it down to absorb the aircraft - now UA's future is looking pretty grim. As much as UA needed Ted, i think Qantas need the premium customers just the same.

Rhys


Ahh...he was actually appointed by the Qantas board, not just GD.

[Stuart Trevena]

HI All,

What about Gregg or Borghetti as Jetstar's CEO?

Stuart

[Andrew P]

a positive, at least Joyce owns a tie

Banjo

[Sarah C]

HI All,

What about Gregg or Borghetti as Jetstar's CEO?

Stuart

Doubt it. Both would see that as demotion more than anything.

[Rhys Xanthis]

Ahh...he was actually appointed by the Qantas board, not just GD.

i think you misunderstood what i said - i meant that it was probably indicated to Alan by Geoff in the lead up to his appointment as CEO by the board.

[Nick W.]

why not travolta?

:rolleyes::D

[Daniel M]

i think you misunderstood what i said - i meant that it was probably indicated to Alan by Geoff in the lead up to his appointment as CEO by the board.

Righto. Perhaps structuring your sentences better, would help in the future?

[Montague S]

why not travolta?

:rolleyes::D

god no...he can't even look after his autistic son! :eek:

[Nigel C]

But he will talk to your spouse if you hand your mobile phone over as soon as he arrives!
:D

[Garry Emanuel]

How much speculation can we get on a subject that is typically kept behind closed doors ?

Let's have some reality here. Big companies do not appoint a CEO without a truckload of assessment, evaluation, analysis, critique and all of those again. Joyce, Borghetti and Gregg plus others from elsewhere would have had the ruler passed over them many times over the past 12-18 months at the very least. How do I know ? I've seen this happen from inside organisations for all manner of senior appointments - many of those passing critical judgement here and elsewhere would be shocked to see what happens behind the scenes.

If people think otherwise, go and take a long hard look.

Like we mere mortals when we make critical decisions, Boards and Chairpeople do not make critical decisions without a large amount of information, data, opinion and thought at hand.

So what! Joyce comes from JQ. Toomey came from within AN and look what happened there !

When Chris Anderson joined Optus, he had no experience in telecommunications and I never thought he tried to turn Optus in to NZ TV nor SMH - even though he was CEO of TV NZ and Chief Editor of SMH.

I've never done any form of financial anlaysis on QF, AO nor JQ. That said, I am certain that it would show that Dixon inherited a carcass that was riddled with inefficiencies and malpractice.

The reality - no one is to blame for that as it is in the past. As a CEO, he is confronted with the grim reality of "change or perish".

The change was/is (and remains) unpalatable to many but, let me assure you from having been close to the alternative, whilst **** and shoe polish might be similar in colour, when you have it on your face, one is more acceptable than the other.

As CEO, Dixon has needed to make a call to apply one or the other to the faces of all of QF - which one would you choose ? Through the creation of JQ, the extent to which he applied the choice was reduced and less were exposed to the pain. Does that make him a bad CEO ? To those who got the shoe polish, probably not. To the others, maybe.

Consider for yourselves - I am confronted with Toomey/AN Mk II or create JQ and suffer the berating of the QF "prima donnas".

QF has its faults, flaws and foibles. So too does every other player in the market. Each has things to negate the challenges it faces.

QF doesn't have government backing (but may have some support); doesn't have a closed market in which to operate (gee, wouldn't it be great to gain 5th freedoms for Singapore !); doesn't have unlimited access to cheap capital (despite what some seem to think) and is not immune from the pressure of global oil prices, market competitiveness and proximity to a large, regulated and relatively untapped market (Asia and/or continental Europe).

Face up - if some of the decisions that have been made in the past 3-5 years were not made, our flag carrier would more than likley be DJ or maybe even Tigger (oooops, I meant Tiger !).

I am yet to meet a CEO (and I've met a few) that would win a popularity contest. I am also yet to meet one that is happy to be "on watch" when the company goes down.

Constructive comment and feedback will guide and assist Joyce (and team) to get the balance between QF and JQ close to right. Criticism and "arm chair CEO's" will do little to move the dial in the right direction.

As an aside, where will Gregg go ? CEO of DJ or V Australia ? Not likely. CEO of JQ would be a great opportunity (even more so if the predictions of several on this board come true - he would be CEO of the bigger part of QF). Memo PG: If it gets tabled, seriously consider it. As for Borghetti - don't know much of him. Perhaps a reason for not being a winner. Memo JB: shoot for COO at either QF or JQ and see what comes from that.

[Paul Green]

True, but Gregg is only 48 and Borghetti would be mid 40's. Dixon was seen as "old" when he was appointed at 60 and yet he will retire a month short of his 69th's birthday.

Sarah, where did you get Gregg's and Borghetti's age from. The QF website puts Gregg at 53.

[Rhys Xanthis]

Righto. Perhaps structuring your sentences better, would help in the future?

I dont know, 50/50 as to how you would understand that one.

Anyway, back on topic.

Garry, i agree with you 100%. Couldn't have said anything else better myself really. No CEO is ever going to win the popularity contest - they have to make some decisions and they cop it for things they dont make decisions on. Its a hard job, and will never get any easier.

Rhys

[Gerald A]

The appointment of Alan Joyce as next CEO of Qantas is more than just a reward for Joyce’s highly successful performance in establishing Jetstar as a major airline force, domestically and globally.



Link http://www.traveldailynews.com/pages/show_page/26565

[Mark Grima]

Would the job as CEO JQ really be seen as a demotion for Gregg or Borghetti?

When I first herad the news my first thought was that it would have been one of those two for the JQ job, thinking about it now, maybe niether of them are the right people for the job. I think JQ needs to be seen by the public as a relaxed and fun airline and not sure either PG or JB have that image. In saying that however I think 95% of the general population will have never heard either of their names before.

Will be interesting to see what happens either way.

I am looking forward to see what happens during the next years under Joyce. No doubt JQ will expand and QF may get smaller. How many of these 787s will ever get into QF colours, quite a few less then we expect at the moment I would think (787 is replace aging 767s and A330's only, not expand the fleet??? Expension to be seen at JQ only). What are the chances of an A380 or two getting into JQ colours? Almost inevitable.

Like it or not the board room is being forced change the airline game. Just thinking about things that have happened since the year 2000 with 9/11, SARS, The wars, fuel price rises just to name a few, many many other industries would have been long gone in my opinion.

I am quite excited to see what happens in the next 5 years then the next decade to aviation in Australia.

Cheers

M

[Montague S]

interesting article in the HUN...anyone thinking he wasn't groomed for this position needs their head examined, so I'll ask again, is he truly the best candidate or was he the only candidate?

Geoff Easdown

July 29, 2008 12:00am


A NUMBER of top Qantas executives could resign following yesterday's appointment of Jetstar chief Alan Joyce to succeed Geoff Dixon as managing director.

Mr Joyce, 42, who has led Jetstar since the discount carrier launched in 2003, was described by company chairman Leigh Clifford as the best possible candidate to lead the airline

He said Mr Joyce had a breadth of experience, having worked for Irish carrier Aer Lingus, Ansett and in various Qantas posts.

Dublin-born Mr Joyce, now an Australian citizen, steps over two more-senior executives, Peter Gregg, 53, and John Borghetti, 52.

Both had been ranked equal internal favourites to succeed Mr Dixon.

Mr Gregg, a Queenslander, is chief financial officer of Qantas, and has been an executive director since 2000.

He has overseen the accounts through one of the most difficult periods in aviation history, where Qantas continued to report profits despite the drop in international travel that followed the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the SARS outbreak and the Gulf War.

Mr Borghetti, the son of an Italian family from Melbourne, has risen from the mail room to executive general manager where he has had charge of the rebranding of Qantas as Australia's business airline.

Whether they stay on is uncertain. Friends of both say they have been told they intend to remain -- at least for the present.

BusinessDaily is aware Mr Clifford was warned several months ago by Mr Dixon to expect senior executive departures no matter who got the job.

Yesterday, Mr Joyce was reluctant to talk about his relations with senior managers, saying only that "everybody's going to be doing their job as normal and that will continue.

"Now's not the time for that," he said, seeking to dismiss the question.

Mr Joyce pledged he would continue the company's two-brand - Qantas-Jetstar - strategy, noting he would seek to run the business in the same way it was led during Mr Dixon's eight-year reign at the top.

Pressed about where Qantas might head in the future, he suggested that its future success might be through consolidation via a merger with another carrier, along the lines of Air France and KLM.

Mr Dixon also put forward the same argument yesterday, arguing Qantas would "somewhere or another consolidate with some other airline sometime in the future".

Mr Joyce said if the high price of fuel continued, a lot of airlines could not stand alone.

"I think Qantas will keep an eye out for opportunities and see if that can occur in the future."

Mr Joyce has notched an impressive record at Jetstar, taking the business from just 14 aircraft to a business that rivals Virgin Blue.

The low-cost formula has seen Jetstar planes replace Qantas on routes that are not profitable for the full-service parent brand.

Jetstar has been profitable since launching, making a significant contribution to the Qantas group result.

Mr Joyce was considered a likely appointment by Qantas insiders. Mr Dixon has regularly referred to him in fond terms as "my little Irishman".

Alan Joyce might be short in stature but walks tall in airline circles, evidenced by the fact he will be a key speaker at this week's National Airline Summit in Sydney, which has drawn airline chiefs from around the world.

He came to Qantas in 2000 from Ansett Airlines where he had impressed then chief executive Rod Eddington, later to head up British Airways..

As Ansett's fortunes dived, Sir Rod recommended Mr Joyce to Geoff Dixon.

Mr Joyce comes from a large working class family. His father was a chimney sweep and his mother took in washing.

He graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, with degrees in science, physics and mathematics and a masters in science management.

[Arthur Boy]

Interesting that GD has for the last 'x' number of years relied heavily on the expertise of Borghetti and Gregg to get the QF brand and financials recognised worldwide as having been one of the most consistently profitable carriers yet then supports his "little Irishman" as his successor.

With numerous changes to the QF Board, a board with little or no aviation experience, GD, rightly so, clearly had a fair say in his successor. To then annoit AJ as the heir apparent is a serious slap in the face of JB and PG, the men whose stewardship consistently made him look even better than perhaps he really was.

Their positions are now seriously in question (perhaps untenable?) as are the next level of management underneath as the new CEO will, as is his right, make significant changes to the senior executive team. He will be wisely counseled to ensure he does not adopt a 'crash and burn' management style that worked for him at JQ. He made few friends at QF during the JQ setup phase as QF took the brunt of the majority of the JQ setup costs.

Geoff is now considered "Judas" to many at QF for his treatment of PG and JB, with the big question is whether AJ can carry the load of a real airline or destroy it trying. I genuinely hope AJ continues his success and leads QF into the next phase of its wonderful life. Lets hope we are not witnessing (for those who remember) the dawning of the next Pan Am.

[D Chan]

If I were asked the succession question 6 months ago I would not even think it was possible for Joyce to be the successor. But thinking about it now, his appointment does make sense. Afterall he did grow Jetstar (Domestic and International) to what it is today:
http://www.jetstar.com/~/media/images/travel-info/flight_info/route_map.ml

Ok, some may argue that as a new startup it was not as difficult because they had mainline's support + resources - but compare JQ to what happened with AO. Perhaps they had learnt the lessons from AO, but I am sure much of the success came down to JQ itself.

To then annoit AJ as the heir apparent is a serious slap in the face of JB and PG, the men whose stewardship consistently made him look even better than perhaps he really was.
It can be seen as a 'serious slap' but it depends how JB and PG take it. Either way when 3 people fight for the same job, the 2 that don't get it will inevitably feel disappointed or at least in some ways bitter. If they do move on then it's a chance to bring in someone with fresh ideas.

From Montague's article:
As Ansett's fortunes dived, Sir Rod recommended Mr Joyce to Geoff Dixon.
If Sir Rod really did in the past recommend Joyce to Dixon during the dying days of Ansett - that shows Joyce has got what it takes!

With numerous changes to the QF Board, a board with little or no aviation experience, GD, rightly so, clearly had a fair say in his successor.
The board may have little or no aviation experience - but we can't say they lack business experience. Making the right decisions at the top from a business sense is perhaps more important than just mere aviation experience. Just because they have aviation experience does not mean they would make correct business decisions. One example was the Air New Zealand board appointment of Ralph Norris as CEO. I don't know but I don't think he would have a great deal of aviation experience having previously ran a bank. But he did turn around Air New Zealand quite well and it is still evident today.
http://about.commbank.com.au/group_display/0,1922,CH2113,00.html


Interesting that GD has for the last 'x' number of years relied heavily on the expertise of Borghetti and Gregg to get the QF brand and financials recognised worldwide as having been one of the most consistently profitable carriers yet then supports his "little Irishman" as his successor.
GD has also for the past 4 or so years relied heavily on the expertise of Joyce to get the JQ from the ground up to what it is today, firstly domestic, and then international.

[Sarah C]

Bump........Bruce Buchanan has been appointed to replace Joyce. He is the current GM of Commercial.