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Marketer Todd Sampson has announced his departure from the board of Qantas.
Sampson, who was brought on by then-chair Leigh Clifford in 2015, will exit the Flying Kangaroo almost two years after surviving a vote to remove him at the group’s 2023 AGM.
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According to chair John Mullen, Sampson informed him of his departure as of 30 July this year.
“His guidance and insights have been deeply appreciated by the Board and executive team during one of the most challenging periods in airline history,” Mullen said.
“On behalf of the Board, I’d like to express our gratitude to Todd for his contributions over the past ten years.
“With a significantly refreshed board and executive team in place, Qantas is in a strong position to deliver for its customers, people and shareholders, and regain its place as one of Australia’s most trusted brands.”
The TWU has used the announcement to again criticise Qantas’ management and governance, with Michael Kaine saying the board had refused to rein in former chief executive Alan Joyce.
“Marketing ‘guru’ Todd Sampson said nothing while the Joyce-led airline’s brand was driven into the ground, overseeing illegal outsourcing, appalling treatment of passengers and a cataclysmic drop in standards,” Kaine said.
“Qantas’ own report into its governance showed there was too much deference to a CEO who plunged Qantas into disrepute. We need to now see a Board that will ask the hard questions and start a fresh trajectory towards good jobs for workers, and decent standards for passengers.
“For too long the Qantas board sat silent while workers’ jobs were trashed and standards for passengers plummeted under Joyce. We need a system that can hold all parties in aviation to account in the interest of the public, and stop the cycle of decisions being made to benefit executives’ bonuses.”
At the same time as Sampson’s departure, Mullen announced a new appointment to the board, with former HP president and chief executive Dion Weisler to be voted on at the AGM in November.
“One of the key actions we committed to following a review of key governance matters last year was continuing to expand the Board’s skillset to add to the depth and breadth of experience required,” Mullen said.
“Dion will bring immense value to Qantas as we accelerate our investment in digital improvements across our business while navigating the risks and opportunities posed by AI, cyber threats and increasing global connectivity.”
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says:It is likely that most of us only know about” one board” and that would be the Reserve Bank Board and again we are familiar with only one face, the Governor of same, nothing much about the other members of it or their abilities/qualifications/experience within and or about that industry. The same goes for the QF board and these are the folk that prepare the journey flight plan for the CEO to navigate to business success. History notes that in those past times a position as a board member on a publicly listed company was the boarding pass to some wealth, social postion and esteem and likely another board membership elsewhere too. These days things have to be different, business actions come under the spotlight and the “Press” love it. In announcing the appointment of a new board member most likely the Chairman/person/chair? would advise that the incumbent brings with them immense vision and experience; – an Arts degree with a major in Macrame?? If you really want to see what you are getting for your dollar check out the website, “Market Index”, type in the ASX code or company name, scroll down and find clearly listed the names of the board members, click on the name and visit their profile and check their suitability. In some cases it makes interesting reading and, I am mindful of perhaps one of Australia’s most successful businessmen who was pressured to resign his chairmanship role because he refused to accept the nomination of a high profiled socialite with no specific knowledge/skills/experience in the business that he headed. In our recent industry experiences, I think we have clearly seen some underperforming of Chairmans and overstepping the mark of some CEO’s with very bad results.