Our leadership

The Board comprises a majority of independent Non-Executive Directors who, together with the Executive Directors (Group CEO and Group CFO), have extensive experience and diverse perspectives. They bring independence, accountability and judgement to the Board's deliberations to ensure maximum benefit to shareholders, customers, suppliers, employees, government regulators and members of the community where Qantas operates. The Board is made up of four women and five men.

BCom, FAICD | Chairman and Independent Non-Executive Director
Age: 62

Richard Goyder was appointed to the Qantas Board in November 2017 and as Chairman in October 2018.

He is Chair of the Nominations Committee.

Mr Goyder is Chairman of Woodside Energy Group Ltd, the Australian Football League Commission, the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, and of the Channel 7 Telethon Trust. He is an honorary member of the Business Council of Australia, and a Fellow of the AICD.

Mr Goyder was the Managing Director and CEO of Wesfarmers Limited from July 2005 to November 2017. He also previously held the roles of Finance Director between 2002 and 2004, and Deputy Managing Director and CFO between 2004 and 2005.

Mr Goyder was also formerly Chairman of the Australian B20 (the key business advisory body to the World Economic Forum which includes business leaders from all G20 economies) and JDRF Australia.

The Qantas Group’s Management Committee is made up of 11 senior executives. They bring a breadth of experience spanning the operational and commercial dimensions of multiple airlines in different countries, as well as experience in marketing, customer experience, loyalty, legal and other disciplines.

The Group has announced several changes to the Group Management Committee in 2023.

For full details see our News RoomOpens external site in a new window.

Alan Joyce was appointed Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Qantas in November 2008.

He is a Member of the Safety, Health, Environment and Security Committee.

Mr Joyce is a Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and the Sydney Theatre Company. He is also a Director of a number of controlled entities of the Qantas Group. Between June 2009 and October 2021, Mr Joyce was a Member of the International Air Transport Association’s Board of Governors, having served as Chairman from 2012 to 2013.

He was also a Director of the Business Council of Australia between November 2013 and November 2022 and the Chief Executive Officer of Jetstar from 2003 to 2008. Before that, he spent over 15 years in leadership positions with Qantas, Ansett and Aer Lingus.

At both Qantas and Ansett, he led the network planning, schedules planning and network strategy functions. Mr Joyce spent eight years at Aer Lingus, where he held roles in sales, marketing, IT, network planning, operations research, revenue management and fleet planning.

Vanessa Hudson will become the next Qantas Group CEO and Managing Director, taking over from Alan Joyce when he retires following the 2023 Annual General Meeting. Ms Hudson was appointed as an Executive Director on 5 May 2023.

In October 2019, Vanessa Hudson commenced the role of Qantas Group Chief Financial Officer. Her portfolio includes Group Finance, Group Procurement, Treasury, Investor Relations, Mergers and Acquisitions, Internal Audit and Qantas Superannuation.

Vanessa’s previous role as Chief Customer Officer of Qantas commenced in February 2018, with responsibilities spanning all aspects of the customer experience and strategy. 

Joining Qantas in 1994, she has held a variety of senior commercial, customer and finance roles across the Group, in Australia and overseas, including Executive Manager of Sales and Distribution, Senior Vice President for Qantas across the Americas and New Zealand, Executive Manager of Commercial Planning and Executive Manager for Product and Service. In these various roles her responsibilities ranged from sales channels, revenue management and network planning, to transformation in catering, airports and network.

Vanessa has a Bachelor of Business and was admitted as a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in 1994.

Andrew David has been a proven leader in the airline industry for over 30 years, culminating in his current role as CEO of Qantas Domestic, International and Freight businesses.

He joined the Qantas Group in 2013 and has held a number of roles including Chief Operating Officer for Qantas and Executive Director at Jetstar Japan.

Andrew’s career has seen him work in the UK, Japan, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. After starting his working life in technology and innovation, he progressed into executive leadership roles covering financial, commercial and operational accountability.

As Chairman of an IT business that was ultimately sold to a US private equity firm, Andrew gained valuable commercial insight as well as practical governance and board leadership. He has broad experience in leading large-scale successful change, including start-ups, mergers, acquisitions and transformation programs.

Andrew has an MBA from Auckland University. He has a strong passion for the -environment and biodiversity.

Andrew’s upcoming retirement from the Group was announcedOpens external site in a new window on 27 February 2023.

Stephanie was appointed to the role of CEO Jetstar Group in November 2022.

During her almost 20 years with the Qantas Group, Stephanie has led teams across both operational and commercial areas of the organisation, from crewing to marketing, loyalty and product design.

In the three years prior to joining Jetstar, Stephanie was the Qantas Group’s Chief Customer Officer where she was responsible for all aspects of the customer experience and strategy across the Group including digital, lounges, the inflight experience, and customer care.

In this position Stephanie was also responsible for the Qantas brand, marketing and sponsorships.

Stephanie was appointed as a Board Director of Aviation Aerospace Australia in September 2021, prior to which she was a Board Director of The Association for Data-driven Marketing and Advertising for six years.

Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from the University of Melbourne.

Andrew Finch joined Qantas in 2012 and is the Qantas Group’s General Counsel and Group Executive, Office of the CEO, as well as Company Secretary.

Andrew leads teams with responsibility for the management of legal, governance, compliance and business integrity, industrial relations, remuneration and benefits, and corporate affairs across the Qantas Group.

Andrew has more than 25 years of legal experience in Australia and overseas, joining the Qantas Group from leading Australian practice Allens, where he had been a partner specialising in mergers and acquisitions, equity capital markets and general corporate and governance advice.

Andrew holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Laws from UNSW, a Master of Laws with First Class Honours from the University of Sydney, and a Master of Business Administration (Exec) from the AGSM. He is a member of the ACC General Counsel Advisory Board, and ACC Australia’s GC100 and Advocacy Network.

John Gissing was appointed as Group Executive, Associated Airlines and Services in March 2015.

Previously serving as Chief Executive Officer, Qantas Regional Airlines Group with responsibility for QantasLink branded operations, John’s role has expanded to encompass Group Safety, Group Security, the Qantas Group Pilot Academy, Auckland-based Boeing 737 operator Jetconnect and shared services for workforce planning and ground operations across Qantas.

He held the position of Executive Manager, Group Safety and Health between 2009 and 2012, following six years at Jetstar as the Group General Manager, Flight Operations and Safety where he was a founding member of the Jetstar senior management team in 2004.

John joined Qantas Airways in 1999 and holds an Air Transport Pilot Licence with 10,000 hours flying experience.

He has more than 35 years’ experience in the aviation industry across regional, domestic and international operations in both the premium and low cost carrier sectors.

Rob Marcolina joined Qantas in October 2012 as Executive Manager Strategy, with a role that has now expanded to include responsibility for driving the overall strategy of the Qantas Group, human resources and Qantas’ IT. In this role, Rob also leads the ongoing group-wide transformation program, and has overarching responsibility for HR policies and procedures across the Group.

Prior to joining Qantas, Rob was a Partner with Bain & Company in Los Angeles and Sydney working across multiple industries, with an emphasis on media, technology and telecom businesses.

Rob holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Economics) from the University of Melbourne and a Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in the USA.

As Group Executive for Corporate Affairs, Andrew manages media and government relations, industry affairs and employee communications. 

Andrew was appointed to this role in August 2021, having first joined the Group as Head of Corporate Relations for Jetstar in 2011 before moving to Qantas as Head of External Affairs and then Chief Corporate Affairs Officer for the Group. 

In a 20-year career in corporate relations, Andrew has worked across the public and private sector in a range of industries, including utilities, major infrastructure and public transport as well as a period of time in consulting. 

Andrew has a Bachelor of Arts from RMIT.

Andrew Parker was appointed Chief Sustainability Officer in August 2021 to drive the Group’s sustainability and ESG (environment, social and governance) strategy and commitments. 

This includes the Group’s 2050 net zero emission plan – one of the first of any airline worldwide – and our program for waste and plastic eradication. He also manages the integration of ESG in to all aspects of the business.  

Prior to this role, Andrew was Group Executive – Government, Industry, International and Sustainability from 2013 to August 2021, having led the Group’s Sustainability efforts since 2017. 

Before Qantas, Andrew was Senior Vice President – Public, International, Industry, Environment Affairs at Emirates, based in Dubai and was a key architect in the Qantas Emirates alliance that launched in 2013. 

Andrew previously worked in public affairs, government and journalism. He is the Chair of the Australia Day Council of NSW, and a Director of Street Side Medics.

Markus Svensson commenced in the role of Chief Customer Officer in November 2022, leading all aspects of the Group’s customer experience as well as the Qantas brand, marketing and sponsorships.

Previously, Markus served as the Executive Manager of Network, Revenue Management and Alliances, where he was responsible for a large part of the commercial strategy for Qantas International and Qantas Domestic.

Markus joined the Qantas Group in 2011 and was previously Regional General Manager for Qantas based in London after serving as Head of Group Strategy and Head of International Revenue Management.

Prior to joining Qantas, Markus held senior roles at Bain and Co and in telecommunications in Australia, Sweden and Korea. He has also worked in travel retail and as a strategy consultant.

Markus holds an MBA from Australian Graduate School of Management and a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering and Management from University of Linkoping, Sweden.

Olivia Wirth was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Qantas Loyalty in February 2018.

Olivia joined Qantas in 2009 and has held several positions, including the role of Chief Customer Officer, Group Executive, Brand, Marketing and Corporate Affairs and Group Executive for Government Relations and Corporate Affairs.

Prior to Qantas, Olivia had held senior executive roles for a number of organisations including lobby group, the Tourism and Transport Forum and the Australian Tourist Commission.

Olivia is on the Board of UNICEF Australia. Since 2018 she has also been on the board of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.