Todd Sampson to leave Qantas, board recruits Dion Weisler as airline strives to ‘regain trust’

Qantas chairman John Mullen has announced director Todd Sampson will leave in July after a decade on the board and ‘one of the most challenging periods in airline history’.

Qantas will farewell long-serving director Todd Sampson in July, after chairman John Mullen determined he was part of the problem rather than the solution in the process of restoring trust in the airline.

Former HP boss and current BHP director Dion Weisler will fill Mr Sampson’s seat on the board, in line with Qantas’ commitment to renew its board.

A former advertising agency chief executive and panellist on the ABC’s Gruen Transfer, Mr Sampson was appointed to the board in 2015 by then chairman Leigh Clifford, who declared he would bring “board-level marketing expertise” to Qantas.

He considered resigning in 2023 after a series of controversies overseen by the board caused extensive damage to the Qantas brand, including the handling of Covid travel credits, ghost flight ticket sales and the unlawful outsourcing of ground crews.

But Mr Sampson told the Qantas AGM that year he decided to stand for re-election due to his corporate memory and experience, adding that his skills were needed more than ever to help repair the airline’s tattered reputation.

Qantas chairman John Mullen. Picture: NewsWire / Aaron Francis

Despite several proxy advisers recommending shareholders vote against his re-election, Mr Sampson managed to survive with 65.5 per cent of the vote.

Fellow director Belinda Hutchinson was also re-elected at the meeting with 93 per cent support.

In 2024, a governance review found the Qantas board lacked a willingness to challenge decisions of concern, but laid the blame for the airline’s decline at the feet of former CEO Alan Joyce.

The review acknowledged organisational changes were already under way with the departure of Mr Joyce and former chairman Richard Goyder, and Mr Mullen added there was still a significant amount of work to be done to rebuild trust.

As the longest-serving director on the Qantas board Mr Sampson was clearly in the crosshairs, leading to Monday’s announcement of his retirement on July 31.

Mr Mullen said Mr Sampson’s guidance and insights had been “deeply appreciated by the board and executive team during one of the most challenging periods in the airline’s history”.

“On behalf of the board I would like to express our gratitude to Todd for his contribution over the past 10 years,” he said. “With a significantly refreshed board and executive team in place, Qantas is in a strong position to deliver for its customers, people and shareholders and regain its place as one of Australia’s most trusted brands.”

Qantas annual reports show Mr Sampson has earned over $2.5 million since 2015 and stands to pocket another $232,500 for the 2025 financial year after a 33 per cent reduction imposed on directors who oversaw the demise of the airline’s brand in 2023 and 2024.

In the year to June 30, Mr Sampson attended 26 board meetings or about one a fortnight.

Mr Sampson also has 45,619 shares worth $413,992 based on the current share price, and will continue to enjoy various travel perks after leaving Qantas. These include one free long-haul return trip and three free short-haul trips in the highest class available for each year of service.

Mr Sampson provided no comment for the statement on board changes to the ASX. A Qantas spokesman said he wanted the focus to be on Mr Weisler’s appointment rather than himself.

Since the departure of Mr Joyce in September 2023, the Qantas board has undergone a revamp with former chairman Richard Goyder exiting along with directors Michael L’Estrange, Jacqueline Hey and Maxine Brenner.

Their replacements included former American Airlines boss Doug Parker, economist Dr Heather Smith and business leader Nora Scheinkestel, along with Mr Mullen.

Dion Weisler has been appointed to the Qantas board to replace Todd Sampson. Picture: Hollie Adams

Institutional Shareholder Services head of Australia and New Zealand research, Vas Kolesnikoff, said Mr Sampson’s exit was a “positive step in the Qantas board refreshment under the strong leadership of Mr Mullen”.

“After the issues in 2023 and in fact the somewhat sleepy approach of the board to addressing Qantas’ issues as the airline came out of the pandemic period, including the customer and employee issues amongst others, board refreshment and Mr Sampson’s intention to leave the board will be well received by shareholders,” Mr Kolesnikoff said.

Roy Morgan research released in March, showed Qantas remained among the top five most distrusted brands in Australia, but was showing signs of improving.

“Fewer Australians now report distrusting Qantas, with perceptions of the airline’s customer focus improving and more people viewing its services as reliable,” said Roy Morgan chief executive Michele Levine.

Mr Mullen said Mr Weisler would bring international and technology expertise to the board, having served as president and CEO of HP from 2015-2019.

Mr Weisler is a non-executive director of BHP, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Intel Corporation.

“One of the key actions we committed to following a review of key governance matters last year was continuing to expand the board’s skillset to add to the depth and breadth of experience required,” Mr Mullen said.

“Dion will bring immense value to Qantas as we accelerate our investment in digital improvements across our business while navigating the risks and opportunities posed by AI, cyber security threats and increasing global connectivity.”

Mr Weisler said it was exciting to be joining such “an iconic Australian company and an organisation I know well as a customer at a time of significant opportunity and innovation in aviation”.

“Qantas has a clear vision and commitment to ensure customers and people are at the core of every decision and I am looking forward to helping them deliver on that,” Mr Weisler said.

Shareholders will vote on his election at the Qantas AGM on November 7. Qantas shares closed 3.4 per cent lower at $9.07 on a grim day for the ASX 200.

Originally published as Todd Sampson to leave Qantas, board recruits Dion Weisler as airline strives to ‘regain trust’