Next Qantas CEO: Vanessa Hudson

[Quickstatus]

Business or economy

777J. Im not sure of the 1 leg alcove either....
..................

Australian financial Review:
"Hudson responded to her first question as CEO designate on Tuesday morning by identifying her highest priority, as taught to her by Joyce: “Take care of the customers. Absolutely at the centre of everything we do is delivering for our customers.”.

Hmm, Yeah Nah...

 

[JohnK]

Qantas loyalty is supposed to be taking care of their customers too. But they're not even close.

Devise and maintain all these ways to earn points and then have a very tight control of award seat availability and push toasters, Dysons and Samsonites via the store.

I've stopped going out of my way to earn QFF points and don't think a new CEO is going to make me change my mind.

 

[oz_mark]

From grounding the fleet mid-taxi in 2011, thus massively screwing its customers, to the further screwing customers by under-investment (new planes, IT) throughout his term and the shameless gouging recently, I say good riddance to Alan Joyce - the Sol Trujillo of the aviation world. Any shareholder who sheds a tear for his departure might want to look a bit into the future; its not hard to produce a huge profit with short-term slash and burning, then exit. And anyone who thinks things are just rosy are fooling only themselves.

The first set of financials under the new CEO will be quite telling. I am expecting a few accounting adjustments! I suspect Qantas will be in the state of a lot of companies exiting private equity ownership find themselves in.

 

[Cognac]

Not sure you listened to her comments in context.

IN FULL: Qantas announces Vanessa Hudson as CEO Alan Joyce's successor | ABC News

Vanessa Hudson will take over the reins at Qantas, when Alan Joyce retires in November. Subscribe: http://ab.co/1svxLVE Read more: https://ab.co/3LnQ2W2ABC N...

www.youtube.com

"We've invested an enormous amount of money to getting the performance back to where it needs to be... and it is back".

I think some on here are imagining her criticism of AJ and the QF brand. I'm guessing they didn't watch the PC in full.

Oh, my bad. I guess the part where I said there was additional context to those comments didn't make it clear enough that I knew there was additional context to those comments. Of course they aren't being critical, it was just a mildly amusing observation.

 

[UP4014]

I love this thread, the good, the bad and the ugly on top management at QF and the new CEO being the right or wrong choice.

The fact that no one here that I'm aware of was offered the position in spite of the expertise and advice offered to QF puts a smile on my face.

Back to my pipe, scotch and arm chair and book 'airline finance for dummies'. What I've learnt so far is anyone can run an airline but not many can run a profitable one.

 

[justinbrett]

Oh, my bad. I guess the part where I said there was additional context to those comments didn't make it clear enough that I knew there was additional context to those comments. Of course they aren't being critical, it was just a mildly amusing observation.

Well I mean by definition she can’t have said AJ didn’t focus on those problems if she thinks they’ve been resolved and he’s still in charge.

 

[Quickstatus]

pipe, scotch and arm chair

Where is the popcorn?

 

[RooFlyer]

Australian financial Review:
"Hudson responded to her first question as CEO designate on Tuesday morning by identifying her highest priority, as taught to her by Joyce: “Take care of the customers. Absolutely at the centre of everything we do is delivering for our customers.”.

As taught to her by Alan Joyce. Did she really say that?

If so, that’s her “Our customers are not match fit” moment.

As noted above, AJ is said to have surrounded himself with sycophants.

Quod erat demonstrandum.

 

[Quickstatus]

As taught to her by Alan Joyce”. Did she really say that?

As reported in the AFR....

The "as taught to her by Joyce"... Will VH be AJ2.0?. Or will she forge her own path?.
I still think the Board wants a steady as she goes CEO. Fleet renewal (on paper at least, what the actual reality will be who knows) coming up so don't rock the boat?

 

[moa999]

The first set of financials under the new CEO will be quite telling. I am expecting a few accounting adjustments!

Not sure what else they can write off, or sell off.
About the only thing left with any substantial value on the balance sheet is the 787s.
The 380s got written down to near zero over Covid, and most of the 787s were borrowed against.

The only other asset of value is the FF program, and given the disaster that was Virgin's sale and buyback, which contributed to it's administration, I doubt thats on the table.

As for Joyce. My simple comparison is to his competitor for the job - John Borghetti, who left Qantas and became CEO of Virgin. Borghetti had by far an easier job imho - taking a smaller nimble low cost airline up market. Yet only one airline had all shareholder value torn up.

 

[RooFlyer]

As reported in the AFR....

Yeah, I was willing to give her at least the benefit of the doubt as those particular comments weren’t in quotes in the article.

If she did actually say it, then it’s a sad indictment on her first day, as appointed CEO.

I mean, Alan Joyce was many things, but customer focused was not one of them.

I still think the Board wants a steady as she goes CEO.

Yes, as I noted above, that’s what promoting from inside usually means. No one who is going to challenge their prior decisions, especially because they were part of them. You don’t want to see anyone coming in and actually pointing out that the board made mistakes in the past!

Note that Chairman Goyder the previous day also oversaw an internal candidate being made CEO at the AFL.

 

[Quickstatus]

write off, or sell off.

Any new asset will be listed on the liability side as well

 

[Quickstatus]

those particular comments weren’t in quotes in the article.

I suspect it might have been a question something like "what did AJ teach you"

 

[RooFlyer]

I suspect it might have been a question something like "what did AJ teach you"

Just as well she didn’t blurt out “always agree with the boss“.

 

[ozflier]

“Take care of the customers"
This will be a novel approach by the new CEO!

 

[Peasant]

I'm happy to give her the benefit of the doubt. She's actually never had a role within Jetstar, so by most measures she's a Qantas lifer who has seen the full spectrum of change from privatisation through to the bloodbath that was Covid.

It's promising that she's spent much of her career in product-related roles. She had product leadership roles from 1997 to 2013, when I'd argue Qantas was probably close to its best, so hopefully she will be the premium product advocate we're looking for.

 

[jb747]

What she says before the final departure of Joyce, and afterwards, may well be two different things. I hope so anyway.

 

[Quickstatus]

What she says before the final departure of Joyce, and afterwards,

Not yet sitting in AJ's office. Is 6 months (till AGM) a long time in the airline industry?

 

[UP4014]

Where is the popcorn?

I’m in first.

 

[Volando]

Maybe the AJ “quote” is evidence of a wicked sense of humour and the popcorn will be well warranted!