By Jessica Yun
The head of Qantas’ loyalty division Olivia Wirth has resigned from the job and will depart in February to “pursue other opportunities”, the airline announced on Monday.
The news comes one week after retailer Myer announced Wirth was being nominated to join its board of directors.
Qantas Loyalty chief executive Olivia Wirth will leave Qantas in February.Credit: Qantas
Wirth has spent the past 14 years of her career at Qantas and has been chief executive of Qantas Loyalty, which includes its frequent flyer program, since 2018. Before this, she held roles including chief customer officer and group executive for brand, marketing and corporate affairs.
Qantas chief Vanessa Hudson said Wirth’s contribution over many years had been enormous.
“During COVID, Loyalty was one of the few parts of our business that was able to carry on, which took a lot of hard work and imagination. There are many improvements for customers in the pipeline that Olivia will continue working on with her team over the next few months, as part of setting this part of the business up for continued success,” Hudson said in a statement.
Wirth said Qantas had been a huge part of her career and was grateful for the opportunities she had been given over the years.
“At its core, Qantas is an incredible company and brand, and I’ve loved being part of it. I’m extremely proud of what the team at Loyalty has achieved, and I’m looking forward to delivering more improvements for members before I leave.”
Wirth became head of the loyalty business by replacing Jayne Hrdlicka, who made her own shock exit from the airline to become chief executive of the A2 Milk Company. Hrdlicka went on to become the chief executive of rival Virgin after it was acquired by Bain Capital during the pandemic, replacing Paul Scurrah.
Wirth was considered one of the key candidates to replace Alan Joyce as chief executive, a role that ultimately went to Hudson, announced at a press conference in May where outgoing chairman Richard Goyder momentarily mixed up their names.
Wirth has made public appearances alongside Joyce, including during the grounding of Qantas’ fleet in October 2011 over an industrial dispute with pilots, engineers and baggage handlers about pay and job security that caused hundreds of flight cancellations. She also appeared with Joyce in the airline’s acquisition of a majority stake in TripADeal, described as “the largest that Qantas Loyalty has ever done”.
If successfully elected to Myer’s board, Wirth will join the retailer at a time when it is focused on growing the customer loyalty business.
Investors appeared unimpressed with the news of Wirth’s resignation, sending Qantas’ share price down 2.4 per cent on Monday.
Qantas has also appointed Catherine Walsh to the newly created position of chief people officer. Walsh has been with PwC since September 2020 and was promoted to head of people and culture in July this year. Last week, she appeared in front of a Senate inquiry examining the management and integrity of consulting firms.
Before joining PwC, Walsh held roles at Spotless Group, Australia Post and Clayton Utz.
Hudson said the creation of the chief people officer role, which was announced in June, would ensure the “voice of our people is front and centre on the leadership team”.
“Ultimately, building a stronger culture and better relationships with our people is one of my highest priorities and a shared responsibility across management,” Hudson said.
“As our chief people officer, Catherine will support those collective efforts by ensuring we always value the incredible contribution our people make to this organisation and listen to their insights, especially as we welcome thousands more to the group to support our growth.”
Walsh said she was honoured to join Qantas at a pivotal time.
“I’ve spent a lot of time on Qantas flights and the dedication and professionalism of the people always shines through, so I look forward to being part of the broader team.”
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