Joyce shrugs off Cowley gibe

QANTAS chief Alan Joyce has shrugged off an attack on his leadership by former News Limited boss Ken Cowley.

QANTAS chief Alan Joyce has shrugged off an attack on his leadership by former News Limited boss Ken Cowley.

Mr Cowley, who once headed Ansett Australia, was quoted in The Australian Financial Review last Saturday as criticising Mr Joyce in an interview. He has since said he was misquoted and ambushed by the paper.

“It’s important that Qantas remains successful and properly funded and again that’s people,” Mr Cowley said. “Alan Joyce is a strange man. I’ve had one of his top people come to see me. It was scary. He’s worried where Qantas is going or not going. It’ll be interesting to see where Alan Joyce finishes up. I think he’s a misfit.”

But Mr Joyce said yesterday he could only remember meeting Mr Cowley once “a long time ago”. He said Mr Cowley had appeared surprised by what he had been quoted as saying in the AFR.

“So if he doesn’t know what he said, I’m not going to comment on it,’’ he said. The AFR journalist, Anne Hyland, and the newspaper stand by the story, insisting Mr Cowley was quoted accurately.