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Virgin CEO Jayne Hrdlicka is reportedly still planning her exit despite the airline having no firm candidates yet to replace her.
The Australian Financial Review reported Hrdlicka has told senior managers she still intends to depart the company, having announced her exit in February last year. The news comes shortly after Virgin publicly ruled out chief customer officer Paul Jones as a candidate for the top job.
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Hrdlicka, previously CEO of Jetstar and of Qantas Loyalty, left the Qantas Group in 2017 to head up The a2 Milk Company, before resigning in 2019 due to what she would later reveal was her husband’s cancer diagnosis. She was selected to replace Virgin Australia CEO Paul Scurrah in 2020.
In a statement last year announcing her departure, she said she had “not taken the decision lightly”, and called the previous four years “heavy lifting across the organisation during the toughest of times”.
“We are in the midst of the next phase of our transformation program and there is a lot to do and an IPO to deliver. The next phase of this journey is another 3-5 years, making now the perfect juncture to begin the process of leadership transition to deliver the next few chapters of what I’m sure will be a significant long-term success story,” she said.
“I am very proud of what the Virgin Australia team have accomplished together since the depths of Administration and the COVID-19 pandemic. I am honoured to have been given the opportunity to guide the team to this point on its journey, and I very much look forward to seeing the continued success of Virgin Australia.”
Under Hrdlicka’s leadership, the airline struck a deal with unions for a pay freeze to help the airline recover from COVID-19, increased its order of 737 MAX aircraft to help ramp its short-haul international services back up, and overtook Qantas in 2023 as Australia’s most trusted travel brand while posting its first full-year profit in more than a decade.
Additionally, Hrdlicka has led the airline through the announcement of a major deal with Qatar Airways to launch wet-leased flights to Doha, with Qatar taking a 25 per cent stake in the airline.
While Paul Jones had been rumoured as a front-runner to take over from Hrdlicka, Virgin announced last week he was not in contention, following pushback from the TWU and Employment Minister Murray Watt.
Virgin Australia has been contacted for comment.
