Qantas chairman-elect John Mullen joins board early as Richard Goyder faces Woodside clash

Qantas will install John Mullen to the board as chairman-elect months ahead of schedule, as current boss Richard Goyder fights for survival at Woodside.

Qantas chairman Richard Goyder is due to leave the airline in October and faces a key Woodside vote next week. Picture: Dylan Burns via Getty Images

Qantas has announced that former Telstra chairman John Mullen will join the airline months ahead of schedule as the airline’s outgoing chairman Richard Goyder fights for survival at Woodside.

The airline announced on Friday that Mr Mullen will commence as non-executive director and chairman-elect on April 22, earlier than the previously announced July 1 start date.

Mr Goyder will remain as chairman at Qantas ahead of its annual meeting scheduled for October, when Mr Mullen will assume the role.

In a brief statement to the market on Friday, Qantas said Mr Mullen’s position on the board would be put to a shareholder vote at the annual meeting.

“He expects to reduce his existing professional commitments over time,” Qantas said.

Mr Mullen is currently chairman of Treasury Wine Estates and logistics company Brambles, and previously served on the board of Telstra, Toll Holdings and Macquarie Airports.

He said in February that he was conscious of the time commitment the role of Qantas chair required, and would be adjusting his other professional obligations accordingly.

“It’s an extraordinary privilege to take up the chairmanship of the national carrier. It is a company that I have admired all my life, and I am greatly looking forward to helping Vanessa (Hudson) and the management team take the company to new heights of service and performance excellence,” Mr Mullen said.

John Mullen will now join the Qantas board months ahead of schedule. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Aaron Francis

The early arrival for Mr Mullen comes as Mr Goyder fights to keep his chairman role at Woodside, amid mounting pressure from activist shareholders prepared to vote against his re-election and also a key climate report on Wednesday over claims the board is not doing enough to tackle climate change.

He announced in October last year that he would not seek another term in the top job at Qantas when his term expired in October after a series of controversies engulfed the airline, raising questions about his effectiveness as chair.

Germany’s Allianz Global Investors, with $877bn of assets under management, said it would planned to vote against Mr Goyder, while proxy adviser Glass Lewis recommended shareholders do the same because of his “dismissive” attitude to concerns about emissions and climate.

Proxy adviser Institutional Shareholder Services backed the re-election of Mr Goyder to the board and said the debate over his tarnished record at Qantas should not extend to Woodside.

Under Mr Goyder’s watch, Qantas faced a series of controversies around its record profit while making it difficult for travellers to use Covid-related travel credits, the illegal outsourcing of 1700 workers and allegedly selling tickets on ghost flights.

Mr Goyder also gave approval for former CEO Alan Joyce to offload the bulk of his shares with months to run on his contract, and signed off on big executive salaries and bonuses.

In February, Mr Goyder described Mr Mullen as the “right choice to lead the national carrier into its next phase”.

“The company’s history and purpose make it unique in corporate Australia, and so does the incredible passion of everyone who is part of it. There’s still much work to do, but it is an amazing company with a bright future.”