The Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) share price is in focus after the airline business announced who the next CEO of the ASX share is going to be.
Vanessa Hudson to become Qantas CEO
Alan Joyce has been the leader of CEO for 15 years, but he’s retiring in November 2023.
Ms Hudson is currently the Qantas Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and has worked in a number of executive positions across the business over 28 years, including chief customer officer and senior vice president for Qantas across the Americas and New Zealand.
She will join the board before taking over after the 2023 annual general meeting (AGM) later this year.
The Qantas Chairman Richard Goyder said that Ms Hudson has a “deep understanding of this business after almost three decades in a range of roles both onshore and offshore.” He said that she “has a huge amount of airline experience and she’s an outstanding leader.”
Goyder explained that Hudson has had a direct hand in shaping its strategy as a member of the group’s management committee. He also said that her handling of the finance and treasury portfolio during the COVID crisis was “outstanding”. Ms Hudson also reportedly led the fleet selection process in 2022 for the renewal of the Qantas domestic jet aircraft for the next decade.
He also paid tribute to the job that Alan Joyce did as the CEO of the business, guiding the business through the GFC, record oil prices, competition and COVID. The Qantas share price has performed strongly since the worst of the COVID-19 crash.
New CEO comments
The new Qantas CEO, Vanessa Hudson, said:
It’s an absolute honour to be asked to lead the national carrier. This is an exceptional company full of incredibly talented people and it’s very well positioned for the future. My focus will be delivering for those we rely on and who rely on us – our customers, our employees, our shareholders and the communities we serve.
Final thoughts on the Qantas share price
The Qantas share price has risen by over 12% since the start of the year as travel demand remains strong. I’m not sure how long the elevated demand will remain, but if Qantas can keep filling its planes then I think it could outperform the ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) over the rest of 2023.
