Qantas has made two key changes to its group leadership team following the recent resignation of previous Qantas International chief executive, Alison Webster.
Current chief financial officer, Tino La Spina, will move to succeed Webster as chief executive of Qantas International.
Vanessa Hudson, currently the group’s chief customer officer, will move to the role of chief financial officer.
Qantas group chief executive Alan Joyce, meanwhile, has agreed to stay in his role for at least three more years, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. This would allow Joyce, 52, to oversee the airline’s 100th anniversary celebrations next year and probably the launch of non-stop flights between Sydney and London, which the airline is working on at the moment.
La Spina and Hudson will take up their new roles from 1 October 2019, which Qantas says will allow La Spina to close out the current fiscal year through to annual reporting. From mid-May, Hudson will be chief financial officer designate and will work closely with La Spina to ensure a smooth handover.
Narendra Kumar will remain acting Qantas International chief executive while the chief financial officer transition is completed.
A process to appoint a replacement chief customer officer will start shortly. all three roles will continue to report to Qantas group chief executive, Alan Joyce.
Announcing the appointments, Joyce said: “These changes show the depth of talent in our group executive team, and a large part of that comes from our practice of giving people exposure in different areas across a diverse portfolio of businesses.
“Vanessa started with Qantas 24 years ago in finance and audit, before moving to senior roles in inflight services, commercial planning, sales and distribution, and regional head of Qantas in the US. It means she brings a deep understanding of our business as well as a strong background in finance to the role of CFO.
Tino La Spina
“Tino has been with Qantas for 13 years in a series of senior finance roles, which has given him a detailed understanding of what drives results in each part of the group.
“There is a lot of positive momentum across the Qantas group. We have a great executive team in place and I look forward to working with them over the years ahead as we deliver for our customers and shareholders,” Joyce added.
VANESSA HUDSON – CAREER SUMMARY
Qantas
2018 – Present: Chief Customer Officer
2016 – 2018: Executive Manager, Sales and Distribution
2013 – 2016: Senior Executive Vice President, The Americas
2010 – 2013: Executive Manager, Commercial Planning
2005 – 2010: Executive Manager, Product Services
2001 – 2005: General Manager, Inflight Services
1997 – 2001: Catering Product Manager
1995 – 1997: Financial Controller, Commercial Division
1994 – 1995: Internal Audit Supervisor
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
1992 – 1994: External Audit
Education
Bachelor of Business (Accounting and Finance Major), UTS; Member Institute of Chartered Accountants.
TINO LA SPINA – CAREER SUMMARY
Qantas
2014 – Present: Chief Financial Officer
2009 – 2014: Deputy Chief Financial Officer
2007 – 2009: Executive Manager, Finance and Commercial, Qantas Loyalty
2006 – 2007: General Manager, Strategy
National Express Group
2001 – 2006: Chief Financial Officer, Australia
Ansett
1996 – 2001: Financial and Commercial Manager
Education
Bachelor of Business (Accounting), Swinburne University, Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Edited by Peter Needham
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