Qantas Picks First Female CEO as Alan Joyce Prepares to Depart
Australia's flagship carrier, Qantas Airways Ltd (QAN.AX), named Finance Chief Vanessa Hudson as its next Chief Executive Officer, making her the first woman to lead the century-old airline.
Hudson will in November take over from Alan Joyce, whose 15 years in the job has made him one of the longest-serving CEOs of a major Australian company, and a high-profile figure in the global aviation industry.
Hudson will be one of the few female executives leading a major company in Australia, although rival carrier Virgin Australia also has a woman as its CEO, Jayne Hrdlicka.