As if the year couldn’t get any better for Qantas boss Alan Joyce, he’s now been named airline chief exec of the year.
On Wednesday evening in Helsinki, Finland, the influential industry consultancy CAPA Centre for Aviation bestowed the title onto Joyce, according to the SMH.
Joyce has led an almighty $3.3 billion turnaround for the Aussie national carrier, as well as taking home a pay packet of $11.9 million, so it’s safe to say this accolade is the rich, sugary icing on top of one hell of a cake.
CAPA executive director Peter Harbison said the judging panel, consisting of CAPA analysts and partners at recruiting firm Heidrick & Struggles, were particularly impressed by the massive restructuring program led by Joyce as well as his ability to tackle complex industrial relations challenges, according to SMH.
“What Qantas has achieved under Mr Joyce’s leadership is one of the most remarkable turnarounds in the history of the aviation industry,” Harbison said.
“The restructuring is particularly noteworthy as it was intelligently implemented without the benefit of Chapter 11-style bankruptcy protections.”
CAPA said Joyce deserved the award because of his strong will in taking on a difficult period for the airline and making the tough decisions to keep it going, including the airline grounding, large redundancies and capacity discipline in the domestic market.
At the time of the airline’s record losses and Joyce’s failure to secure a government bail-out, his resignation was called for by not only the union leaders, but also some politicians and members of the public, however CAPA cited his determination and loyalty as other reasons for his award.
According to SMH, CAPA also praised Joyce’s “bold decision” to partner with Emirates, and more recently his decision to expand the airline’s relationships with China Eastern and American Airlines.
Top dog for Virgin Australia John Borghetti took out the title in 2011, but at that time it was limited only to executives within the Asia-Pacific region, as it was when Joyce’s predecessor, Geoff Dixon, won the award in 2006, but since going global in 2012, the competition has grown exponentially, making the win even more significant.
