New position comes ahead of thousands of expected new recruits
Australian flag carrier Qantas Airways has announced the creation of a dedicated chief people officer role as part of a leadership shake-up under CEO-designate Vanessa Hudson.
"This role will bring together human resources and industrial relations functions, which are currently split," the flag carrier said on its website.
Qantas has yet to name an individual to take on the role, but it noted that an "executive search process is underway."
The establishment of the role also comes as the airline expects to create 8,500 new jobs in Australia within the next decade, as well as ramp up training as it takes delivery of new aircraft.
"We have a lot of expansion planned in the years ahead and that will translate into thousands of new frontline jobs and millions of hours of training. Keeping our team engaged and supporting them to deliver for our customers is critical, and so is the dedicated Chief People Officer role," Hudson said in a media release.
The opening for the new chief people officer role also comes as the airline faces workplace-related disputes, including controversy around outsourcing ground crews at the height of the pandemic.
Leadership shake-up
The establishment of the new CPO role is part of a leadership overhaul under CEO-designate Hudson, who will be officially appointed in November.
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In addition to the CPO role, the airline is also establishing a chief risk officer position that will be filled by Andrew Monaghan, who is currently the company's executive manager of safety.
These two new key positions will expand to 13 the members of Qantas Group's Management Committee.
Meanwhile, replacing Hudson as chief financial officer is current Qantas Group Executive of Strategy, People and Technology, Rob Marcolina, who has been with the airline since 2012.
Other senior appointments in the committee include:
- Qantas Domestic CEO – Markus Svensson, current chief customer officer
- Chief Customer and Digital Officer – Catriona Larritt, current executive manager of Qantas Freight and was formerly chief commercial officer at Jetstar
"The structural changes announced today are about increasing our focus on a few key areas as we move from recovery to growth, especially when it comes to things that matter most to our people and our customers," Hudson said.
Meanwhile, an executive search is also underway for the CEO position at QantasLink, as John Gissing is set to retire from the position in November after almost 25 years with the Group.
"On behalf of the Group, I'd like to sincerely thank John Gissing for his massive contribution over nearly 25 years with us and almost 40 years in Australian aviation. We're fortunate to have access to his experience as an adviser after he formally retires from his current role at the end of this year," Hudson said.
The Qantas Group Management Committee is expected to "progressively transition" to its new structure starting next month and will be fully in effect by November.