October
Joe Aston on Qantas: ‘This is a story about power in the shadows’
This week on The Fin podcast, Joe Aston on what went wrong for the airline, why it has an oversized influence in Canberra, and the extraordinary perks of a Qantas board seat.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Qantas finds clearer air, but its past must fuel longer turnaround
The airline’s annual general meeting highlighted good progress, but the mistakes of the past should continue to shape the next stage of its comeback.
- James Thomson
2024’s most powerful and influential directors revealed
As AGM season gathers pace, the BOSS index of the country’s most powerful and influential directors reveals a new cohort rising through the ranks.
- Patrick Durkin
September
Australia’s 10 most powerful business leaders in 2024
The strongest voices for corporate Australia in a year when cost-of-living pressures have ripped through the most vulnerable parts of the economy.
- James Thomson
- Opinion
- Cyber Summit
ASIC readies to wield a big stick against boards lax on cybersecurity
The regulator is talking about investigating directors who have been remiss in guarding against hackers. Not everyone thinks that’s the best approach.
- Paul Smith
Why John Mullen wishes he’d paid a cyber ransom
When hackers targeted Qantas chairman John Mullen’s private maritime museum, he didn’t pay the ransom out of principle.
- Tess Bennett
August
How the Qantas board fell for the cult of Alan Joyce
A scathing review of the national carrier’s board tells the story of a highly successful chief executive whose growing power was not adequately challenged. It ended badly for everyone.
- Updated
- James Thomson
July
The war in Gaza is dividing Australians. Business is worried
Paul Bassat says Australia is fighting a “war of ideas” and losing; John Mullen says business people are too scared to say what they really think and Rod Eddington fears multiculturalism is under threat.
- Patrick Durkin
June
Big business’ Voice advocacy backfired: new Qantas chairman
John Mullen said businesses should not be “completely anaesthetised” on social issues, but warned it can be dangerous for firms to back politicised causes.
- Nick Bonyhady
March
Where boards are still going wrong
Only a few chairmen have dared look outside the usual pathways to the board to find a director with deep skills in technology, marketing or human resources.
- Sally Patten
Scyne sends out Jamie Briggs to terrify the troops
Partnerships are never as warm and cuddly as the word suggests, so it was only a matter of time before the gloves came off at Scyne Advisory.
- Myriam Robin
February
Qantas upgrades capex bill, pinning returns on new planes
The airline will reward shareholders by extending its buyback, as CEO Vanessa Hudson ramps up spending to woo customers.
- Updated
- Ayesha de Kretser
Qantas appoints Mullen to succeed Goyder
The chairman-elect has revived hopes the airline can win back the support of its staff and unions as he prepares to succeed Richard Goyder in the coveted role.
- Updated
- Ayesha de Kretser
Here’s what to expect from new Qantas chairman John Mullen
The businessman made his name running ports and freight railway lines. Now he’s landed what’s often considered the number one gig in corporate Australia.
- Anthony Macdonald
November 2023
- Exclusive
- BOSS
Australia’s 50 highest-paid CEOs in 2023
Despite topping the pay ranks, Macquarie Group’s Shemara Wikramanayake is just one of two women on the list.
- Patrick Durkin
November 2023
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Why private equity’s next board pick at Scyne Advisory will be a shock
Can you imagine CBA boss Matt Comyn being overlooked for a board seat at the bank in favour of another employee? It wouldn’t happen. But that’s what Allegro Funds wants to see at Scyne.
- Anthony Macdonald
High Roller: Melbourne brothers bank $78.6m for start-up
US-based Insight Partners has injected $US50 million ($78.6 million) into Melbourne-based software business Roller.
- Tess Bennett
October 2023
New Telstra director Maxine Brenner to be pressed on Qantas at AGM
The new director will be asked to explain how she handled corporate governance issues while on Qantas’ board at Telstra’s AGM on Tuesday.
- Jenny Wiggins
April 2023
Boards warn of further shocks to financial markets
Leading company directors are stress testing business models, imposing strict cost controls, tightening health checks on customers and suppliers, and meeting daily amid rising interest rates, the collapse of offshore banks and geopolitical tensions.
- Sally Patten
‘I’m pregnant’: two words rarely heard at an ASX20 board table
John Mullen’s push for diversity on the Telstra board created a unique problem when young gun director Bridget Loudon fell pregnant. There was no parental leave policy.
- Sally Patten