The retirement of Don Clarke as chair and non-executive director of Webjet Group Limited removes the last of the leadership trio at the time of the company’s 2024 demerger – with Dr Gary Weiss, who joined the board just weeks ago, to step into the interim chair role effective 20 May 2026.
Clarke has served as a non-executive director of Webjet Limited since 2008, holding the role of deputy chair for a number of years before the demerger. He subsequently took on the chair and non-executive director role at the newly listed Webjet Group. CEO Katrina Barry announced her resignation in March after less than two years at the helm, but Barry remains in her role until a successor is appointed. Long-time Webjet OTA CEO David Galt also departed around the same time, with the board yet to name successors for either role.
Weiss was appointed to the board as a non-executive director effective 1 May, bringing with him more than 35 years of experience across ASX-listed and private companies.
He is executive director of Ariadne Australia, which holds a 5.01 per cent stake in Webjet Group, and was a central figure in the BGH-Ariadne consortium’s rival 91-cent-per-share takeover bid for the company in late 2025 – a bid that ultimately did not proceed. His appointment remains subject to shareholder approval at the company’s AGM in August.
Analysts told Travel Weekly in April that the instability -compounded by the fallout from the demerger – had made the company a likely takeover target before year’s end, with Helloworld Travel and private equity among the names cited as potential suitors.
The board said it was continuing to consider potential director candidates as part of its ongoing succession and governance processes.
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