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Vanessa Hudson

There are turnaround jobs—and then there’s what Vanessa Hudson inherited at Qantas, Australia’s flagship carrier. The airline’s former CFO got promoted early in September when her predecessor, Alan Joyce, stepped down two months ahead of schedule. Growing passenger discontent and the carrier’s record profits clashed, reinforcing public opinion that the company had neglected its customers to benefit its bottom line. Early on, Hudson, the airline’s first-ever female CEO, committed to spending $52 million on “customer improvements” and issued a mea culpa: “We have let you down in many ways,” she told customers. It remains to be seen whether the 30-year Qantas veteran can restore customers’ trust and the airline’s once-vaunted reputation. At least Australia’s raging demand for travel will ease the effort.

Brendon ThorneBloomberg via Getty Images
  • Title
    CEO
  • Affiliation
    Qantas Group
  • Country/Territory
    Australia
There are turnaround jobs—and then there’s what Vanessa Hudson inherited at Qantas, Australia’s flagship carrier. The airline’s former CFO got promoted early in September when her predecessor, Alan Joyce, stepped down two months ahead of schedule. Growing passenger discontent and the carrier’s record profits clashed, reinforcing public opinion that the company had neglected its customers to benefit its bottom line. Early on, Hudson, the airline’s first-ever female CEO, committed to spending $52 million on “customer improvements” and issued a mea culpa: “We have let you down in many ways,” she told customers. It remains to be seen whether the 30-year Qantas veteran can restore customers’ trust and the airline’s once-vaunted reputation. At least Australia’s raging demand for travel will ease the effort.