Meet Vanessa Hudson, the Australian CEO who is turning Qantas’s problems into success

The Flying Kangaroo in Australia Starts a New Era

Vanessa Hudson took over as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Qantas Group on September 6, 2023. She didn’t just get a national airline; she got a symbol in trouble. After years of cancellations, angry customers, and corporate scandals, Hudson had the huge job of rebuilding trust, culture, and financial stability.

She has done just that two years later. Under her leadership, Qantas has made a lot of money, rebuilt its fleet, and started to repair the reputation of Australia’s most famous airline through openness, discipline, and compassion.

From the suburbs of Sydney to the skies

Hudson was born around 1970 and grew up in Pennant Hills, New South Wales. He learned early on how important it is to be honest and work hard. She went to Pymble Ladies’ College and then got a Bachelor of Business degree from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) in 1991. She was a qualified Chartered Accountant and later became a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (FCA).

She is married to Henry, who works in the wine business, and they have two grown daughters together. Hudson has said many times that her family is still her main source of support, especially when she has to deal with public criticism while running Qantas.

Originally Published on Auburn Times

Thirty Years with Qantas

Hudson started working for Qantas in 1994 as an Internal Audit Supervisor after working at Deloitte. Over the course of 30 years, she worked her way up through a number of executive positions in sales, finance, and customer service.

She held the following positions:

• Product Manager for Catering (1997),
• Executive Manager of Products and Services (2005),
• Senior Vice President for New Zealand and the Americas from 2013 to 2016, and
• Chief Customer Officer since 2018.

Hudson was named Group Chief Financial Officer in 2019. During the terrible COVID-19 pandemic, he was in charge of cost recovery, capital allocation, and working with the government. During that time, her work made her the clear choice to take over for Alan Joyce.

Leadership Based on Trust, Inclusion, and Change

Hudson’s first year as CEO was all about fixing the company’s culture. At the 2024 AGM in Hobart, she told shareholders, “My goal is to make Qantas a company that all Australians can be proud of again.”

She has taken a hands-on approach by going to call centres, meeting with front-line staff, and making rules that used to annoy passengers easier to understand. The flight credit systems were changed, the process for handling customer complaints was made easier, and the Qantas app was updated so that travellers could manage their bookings in real time.

Hudson also gave employees the power to fix problems right away, which helped customers trust the company again after years of being unhappy. Early survey data shows that trust and satisfaction levels have gone up a lot on both the Qantas and Jetstar networks.

Responsibility and Governance

Hudson put transparency first in order to restore business integrity. After a court found that Qantas had illegally outsourced ground handling, she led the company to follow all 32 recommendations from an independent governance review.

The airline made history by saying that executive bonuses will now be based on reputation metrics measured by the independent company RepTrak. Hudson’s pay has also been changed. Now, performance pay is based on more than just profit margins; it also depends on how happy customers are and how much they trust the brand.

The Future of Flight, Fleet Renewal, and Sustainability

Five things make up the core of Hudson’s long-term plan: customers, loyalty, fleet, people, and sustainability.

Qantas made an underlying A$2.39 billion in FY25, its second-highest profit ever, thanks to strong domestic demand and careful cost management. (ABC News, 28 Aug 2025)

Hudson is modernising the fleet with 20 new Airbus A321XLRs, A220s, and long-range A350-1000s for Project Sunrise. This is a big project that will let people fly nonstop between Sydney, London, and New York by 2026.

She has also pushed for the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), and Qantas now uses it on flights to London and is helping to fund domestic production projects. Hudson said at the FY25 results briefing, “We want Australia to be a world leader in aviation with low emissions.”

Equality and Leadership Outside of Work

Hudson is a founding member of the Champions of Change Coalition, which fights for gender equality and diversity in corporate leadership. She has opened up more opportunities for women and First Nations Australians to train as pilots and become executives at Qantas.

Her philosophy of putting people first includes giving bonuses to non-executive employees, working with RMIT and Griffith University to improve safety training, and building new ground-training facilities.

Honour and Legacy

Hudson’s accomplishments have gotten her recognition around the world, including a spot on Fortune’s “Most Powerful Women in Business” list for 2023. Analysts say that her calm, methodical style brought stability back to Qantas after one of its most troubled times.

Qantas shares have gone up, customers are happier, and the company’s environmental goals are finally believable in a market that used to be sceptical of its national carrier.

A Vision for Fair Leadership

Vanessa Hudson is a new kind of Australian leader, one who can be both honest and do a good job. She said recently, “Our mission is to make Qantas stronger, fairer, and more sustainable for customers, employees, and shareholders alike.”

With her help, the flying kangaroo has started to fly again, not just as a profitable airline but also as a symbol of strength, renewal, and national pride.
Get More Updates: Australian Magazine