Rear Window

Qantas brand guru Todd Sampson given ISS reprieve

This is why proxy advisers send boards batty. And if Qantas’ in-house sentiment guru doesn’t deserve to walk the plank, who does?

Myriam RobinSenior writer

Oct 19, 2023 – 3.49pm

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On Wednesday, Telstra director Maxine Brenner faced a humiliating 17 per cent protest vote against her re-election, after proxy firm Institutional Shareholder Services recommended against her because of her concurrent board role at embattled airline Qantas. That is, at another company altogether.

In comments to the floor, Brenner acknowledged her extensive board career had involved, “inevitably, some mistakes”. She didn’t elucidate these, and Telstra chairman John Mullen did all he could to shield her from questions about her role at the national carrier.

Myriam Robin is a senior writer based in the Melbourne newsroom. She has previously been a Rear Window columnist and editor, and before that reported on financial markets and media.