Our leadership
The responsibilities and experience of our Board of Directors and Group Leadership Team.
Board of Directors
The Board comprises a majority of independent Non-Executive Directors who, together with the Managing Director and Group CEO, 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 four men.
John Mullen
BSc | Independent, Non-Executive Director and Board Chair
Age: 69
John Mullen was appointed to the Qantas Board in April 2024, and as Board Chair in September 2024.
Mr Mullen is currently Chair of Brambles Ltd. and of Treasury Wine Estates.
Previously, Mr Mullen was Chair of Telstra Group Ltd and of Toll Holdings.
Mr Mullen has extensive experience in international transportation and logistics, with more than two decades in senior positions with some of the world’s largest transport and infrastructure companies. From 2011 to 2016 John was Chief Executive Officer of Asciano, Australia’s largest ports and rail operator and prior to this, Mr Mullen spent 15 years with DHL Express, serving as the global Chief Executive Officer from 2005 to 2009.
Prior to DHL, Mr Mullen spent 10 years with the TNT Group with four years as the Chief Executive Officer of TNT Express Worldwide based in the Netherlands.
Former appointments also include the US National Foreign Trade Council in Washington (2008-2010), and Member of the UNICEF Task Force on Workplace Gender Discrimination and Harassment (2018-2019).
Vanessa Hudson
BBus, CA | Qantas Group Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Age: 54
Vanessa Hudson was appointed as Qantas Group Chief Executive and Managing Director on 6 September 2023.
She is a Member of the Safety, Health, Environment and Security Committee. Ms Hudson is also a Director of a number of controlled entities of the Qantas Group.
Ms Hudson was previously Group Chief Financial Officer for four years, including through the pandemic and the airline’s recovery.
She served as Qantas Chief Customer Officer, 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.
Belinda Hutchinson AC
BEc, FCA, FAICD | Independent Non-Executive Director
Age: 71
Belinda Hutchinson was appointed to the Qantas Board in April 2018.
She is Chair of the Audit Committee, a Member of the Nominations Committee and a Member of the Safety, Health, Environment and Security Committee.
Ms Hutchinson is currently a Non-Executive Director of Thales Australia.
Ms Hutchinson was also Chancellor of the University of Sydney from February 2013 until June 2024 and Chair of the Future Generation Global Investment Company between May 2015 and June 2021.
She has over 30 years experience in the financial services sector, working in senior roles at Citibank and Macquarie Group. Ms Hutchinson also has extensive board experience. She was formerly Chair of QBE Insurance Limited, a Director of Telstra Corporation Limited, Coles Group Limited, Crane Group Limited, Energy Australia Limited, TAB Limited, Snowy Hydro Trading Limited, Sydney Water and AGL Energy.
Ms Hutchinson was awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in 2020 in recognition of her service to business, tertiary education and scientific research, and for her philanthropic endeavours to address social disadvantage.
Doug Parker
BEc, MBA | Independent, Non-Executive Director
Age: 62
Doug Parker was appointed to the Qantas Board in May 2023.
He is a Member of the Remuneration Committee and a Member of the Safety, Health, Environment and Security Committee.
Mr Parker was CEO of American Airlines from 2013 to March 2022, and Chairman of the Board until April 2023.
Previously, Mr Parker was Chairman and CEO of US Airways. He has served as Chairman, President and CEO of America West Airlines prior to the merger of US Airways and America West in 2005.
Mr Parker was also previously Vice President, Assistant Treasurer and Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis for Northwest Airlines. From 1986 to 1991, he held several financial management positions with American Airlines.
He is a member of the Vanderbilt University Board of Trust, the SMU Cox School of Business Executive Board, and the Medal of Honour Museum Foundation Board of Directors.
Mr Parker earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Albion College in 1984 and a Master of Business Administration from Vanderbilt University in 1986.
Todd Sampson
MBA, BA (Hons) | Independent, Non-Executive Director
Age: 54
Todd Sampson was appointed to the Qantas Board in February 2015.
He is a Member of the Remuneration Committee and a Member of the Audit Committee.
Mr Sampson was Executive Chairman of the Leo Burnett Group from September 2015 to January 2017, and National Chief Executive Officer from 2008 to 2015. He was also a Director of Fairfax Media Limited from 2014 to 2018.
Mr Sampson has over 20 years’ experience across marketing, communication, new media and digital transformation. He has held senior leadership and strategy roles for a number of leading communication companies in Australia and overseas, including as Managing Partner for D’Arcy, Strategy Director for The Campaign Palace and Head of Strategy for DDB Needham Worldwide.
Dr Heather Smith PSM FAIIA
BEc (Hons), PhD | Independent, Non-Executive Director
Age: 59
Dr Heather Smith was appointed to the Qantas Board in August 2023.
She is a Member of the Remuneration Committee and a Member of the Audit Committee.
Dr Smith is a Non-Executive Director of ASX Limited and Challenger Limited. She is also a Fellow and National President of the Australian Institute of International Affairs.
Dr Smith has extensive experience in public policy, innovation and technological change, national security and economic reform and a deep knowledge of government and the public sector.
She has close to 20 years' experience working in the Australian Public Service at senior levels culminating in being Secretary of the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science from 2017 to 2020. She has also previously served as Secretary of the Department of Communications and the Arts.
Dr Smith has also held senior positions in the departments of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Treasury, as well as the Office of National Intelligence. Dr Smith began her career at the Reserve Bank of Australia.
Dr Smith has a PhD in Economics from the Australian National University (ANU), and was formally a Professor at the ANU National Security College. She is also an independent director of the Reef Restoration and Adaptation Program.
Antony Tyler
BA (Jurisprudence) | Independent Non-Executive Director
Age: 69
Antony Tyler was appointed to the Qantas Board in October 2018.
He is Chair of the Safety, Health, Environment and Security Committee, and a Member of the Nominations Committee.
Mr Tyler was Director General and Chief Executive of the International Air Transport Association from 2011 to 2016. Prior to this, Mr Tyler spent over 30 years with Cathay Pacific Airways Limited. His career includes several management and executive roles in Hong Kong, the UK, Italy, Japan, Canada, the Philippines and Australia before serving in the role of Chief Executive Officer from 2007 to 2011.
He is a Non-Executive Director of Bombardier Inc, BOC Aviation Limited and Trans Maldivian Airways Limited and a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.
Dr Nora Scheinkestel
LLB (Hons), PhD, FAICD | Independent Non-Executive Director
Age: 64
Dr Nora Scheinkestel was appointed to the Qantas Board in March 2024.
She is Chair of the Remuneration Committee, a Member of the Audit Committee and a Member of the Nominations Committee.
Dr Scheinkestel is currently a Non-Executive Director of Brambles and Origin Energy.
She is an experienced company director with 30 years’ experience as a Non-Executive Chair and Director of companies in a wide range of industry sectors, including the public, government and private sectors. Previous directorships of publicly listed companies include Westpac Banking Corporation (2021-2024), Telstra Corporation Limited (2010 – 2022), the Atlas Arteria group (2014 – 2020), which she chaired, Ausnet Services Ltd (2016 – 2022), Orica Limited, Newcrest Limited, Pacific Brands Limited and Stockland Group.
She is a published author, has worked as an Associate Professor in the Melbourne Business School at Melbourne University and is a former member of the Takeovers Panel.
Dr Scheinkestel was awarded a centenary medal for services to Australian society in business leadership. Nora holds a Doctor of Philosophy and a Bachelor of Law (Hons) from the University of Melbourne and is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Group Leadership Team
The Qantas Group’s Leadership Team is made up of 13 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.
Vanessa Hudson
Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Vanessa Hudson was appointed as Qantas Group Chief Executive and Managing Director on 6 September 2023.
She is a Member of the Safety, Health, Environment and Security Committee. Ms Hudson is also a Director of a number of controlled entities of the Qantas Group.
Ms Hudson was previously Group Chief Financial Officer for four years, including through the pandemic and the airline’s recovery.
She has also served as Qantas Chief Customer Officer, 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.
Rob Marcolina
Chief Financial Officer
Rob Marcolina commenced as Chief Financial Officer in September 2023. He is responsible for Group Finance, Group Procurement, Treasury, Investor Relations, Mergers and Acquisitions, Strategy and Qantas Superannuation.
He joined Qantas in October 2012 as Executive Manager Strategy, which expanded to include responsibility for driving the overall strategy of the Qantas Group, including human resources and Qantas’ IT.
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.
Markus Svensson
Chief Executive Officer, Qantas Domestic
Markus commenced in the role of Qantas Domestic Chief Executive Officer in October 2023, having joined the Group Leadership Team in November 2022 as Chief Customer Officer.
He has previously 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. Since joining the Group in 2011, he has also held the position of Regional General Manager for Qantas based in London after serving as Head of Group Strategy and Head of International Revenue Management.
Before joining the Group in 2011, Markus held senior roles at Bain and Co and in telecommunications in Australia, Sweden and Korea.
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.
Cam Wallace
Chief Executive Officer, Qantas International and Freight
Cam Wallace was appointed CEO of Qantas International and Freight in June 2023.
He has more than two decades experience in the airline industry, including various senior leadership roles at Air New Zealand. He was the airline’s Chief Customer and Commercial Officer between 2016 and 2020. In this role he was responsible for global sales and distribution, revenue management, brand and marketing, market development, freight, and the airline’s frequent flyer business.
Since joining Air New Zealand in 2002, he has held a number of roles across sales and distribution.
Cam was previously CEO of MediaWorks, a New Zealand-based digital, out-of-home advertising and commercial audio business.
He served as the Chairman of the Radio Broadcasters Association from late 2020 to 2023.
Stephanie Tully
Chief Executive Officer, Jetstar Group
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 Glance
Chief Executive Officer, Qantas Loyalty
Andrew Glance was appointed Chief Executive officer of Qantas Loyalty in March 2024.
Andrew was previously the Executive Manager of Commercial Partnerships and Qantas Business Rewards, having worked in a number of senior roles in Qantas Loyalty since 2016. He has also held senior finance positions across the organisation, including in flight operations, catering and inflight services, since joining Qantas in 2002.
Andrew has a Bachelor of Commerce Major in Accounting from the University of Western Sydney and is a Certified Practising Accountant.
Catriona Larritt
Chief Customer and Digital Officer, Qantas Group
As Group Chief Customer and Digital Officer, Catriona is responsible for the end-to-end customer experience, both digitally and physically, as well as brand, marketing and technology.
She commenced in the role in September 2023 having previously served as the Executive Manager Qantas Freight for three years and before that as Jetstar’s Chief Customer Officer.
Catriona joined the Group in 2015, and prior to this held senior roles at The Boston Consulting Group, Australia Post and Spotless.
Catriona holds a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree from the University of Melbourne.
Danielle Keighery
Chief Corporate Affairs and Communications Officer
Danielle Keighery was appointed Chief Corporate Affairs and Communications Officer in March 2024.
She has more than 20 years’ experience leading integrated corporate affairs, customer and marketing functions for high-profile companies in the aviation, telco, media and wealth management sectors.
Danielle spent over a decade at Virgin Australia, holding various senior roles including Chief Customer Experience Officer and Group Executive of Brand, Marketing and Public Affairs. She was previously Chief Brand and Corporate Affairs Officer at Crown Resorts, leading the business’ brand and reputation strategy, and prior to that, Chief Customer Officer at Bank of Queensland.
Danielle holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Sydney and has held roles across a number of philanthropic boards including CARE Australia, The Biennale and Virgin Unite.
Andrew Monaghan
Chief Risk Officer
Andrew Monaghan commenced as Chief Risk Officer in November 2023 and is responsible for leading the Group’s risk, safety and security, and assurance functions.
Prior to this Andrew served as Group Executive Manager of Safety.
He has deep operational experience gained since first joining the Group in 2005 including as Chief Operating Officer for Qantas and QantasLink, in addition to roles in human resources, finance and audit.
Andrew has been a Director of the Royal Flying Doctor Service since 2022.
He has a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Wollongong.
Rachel Yangoyan
Chief Executive Officer, QantasLink
Rachel Yangoyan was appointed CEO of QantasLink in November 2023.
She was previously Executive Manager Qantas Aircraft Programs, overseeing the entry into service of the airline’s new aircraft, including QantasLink’s Airbus A220.
Between 2019 and 2022 Rachel was the Executive Manager of Customer Experience and Operations, responsible for cabin crew and international airports. Since joining the Group in 2003, she has also held senior positions in airports and loyalty, as well as serving in customer, revenue management and strategy roles for QantasLink between 2007 and 2012.
Rachel has a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology, Sydney and is a qualified Chartered Accountant.
Catherine Walsh
Chief People Officer
Catherine joined the Qantas Group as Chief People Officer in February 2024.
In this role she is responsible for all aspects of the Group’s Human Resources and Industrial Relations functions, with a key focus of improving relationships with its people as the company enters a period of growth.
Catherine began her career in employment law, and has accumulated more than two-decades experience leading human resources teams across large, complex organisations including PwC Australia, Spotless Group, and Australia Post.
She has a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne.