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Outgoing Virgin Australia chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka has called her time at the airline a “career highlight” as she prepares to hand over the reins to chief commercial officer Dave Emerson.
In a valedictory post on LinkedIn, Hrdlicka, who first announced her departure more than a year ago, noted the carrier’s achievements since COVID-19. She is due to step down as CEO on 14 March, though she will help support the transition for the next few months.
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“It has been an absolute privilege to lead the Virgin Australia team over the past four and a half years and I could not be more proud of everything we have achieved together,” she said.
“The transformation of this business post administration has been nothing short of remarkable. From the early days when we were hardly flying to a record-breaking summer just finished and all the milestones in between.”
Hrdlicka pointed to the recently approved Qatar Airways deal as a major highlight for Virgin in recent years, alongside awards for its cabin crew and regional operations.
“Among the things I am most proud of includes the purposeful pace, focus, resilience and unwavering belief we demonstrated as a team. Today we are Australia’s most loved airline, most trusted, most punctual and reliable airline and we are delivering record financial performance and results that many thought impossible,” she said.
“It is extraordinary just how far we have come. It is a testament to the importance of having clarity on where we were headed and real conviction to deliver it. Today we are 8,000 people strong and growing from strength to strength. It has been a real team effort with all of us clear about our purpose and passionate about our ultimate success.
“We know we are never done getting better and we work hard every day to do better than the day before. This has been a core part of Virgin Australia’s success post COVID.”
Virgin chair Ryan Cotton, earlier this month, thanked Hrdlicka for her “exceptional leadership of the company” during her tenure.
“From administration and the challenges of restoring Virgin Australia’s network post COVID, to our recent announcement of a return to long haul international flying with a new strategic investor, Jayne has been tireless in her mission to lead this company back to greatness,” Cotton said.
“Virgin Australia is in an excellent position for the future thanks to her leadership through some of the most difficult times in our industry.
“Jayne shared with us all a vision for the role Virgin Australia could play in Australian aviation and has led the rebuilding of every aspect of our airline to ensure that we could deliver great outcomes for our people and our customers while also delivering significant returns to shareholders.
“We are sad to see her go, and she leaves with our deepest appreciation and gratitude for a job well done.”
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says:Bon Voyage Boss Lady, you will be missed!
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says:Jayne, has done an excellent job and deserves praise from Bain, she has made a good friendly airline that’s now profitable and much liked carrier. Shame Qantas passed her over.