“I’m not afraid to be myself,” says Jayne Hrdlicka as she gets ready for the multibillion-dollar float of Virgin Australia. Just don’t call her driven.
even though she had until then never run any part of an airline. During her five years at the low-cost subsidiary, its profit more than doubled.
These days, there’s little sign of bad blood. TWU national secretary Michael Kaine, who was outraged when Scurrah was dumped in favour of Hrdlicka, is conciliatory. “Jayne Hrdlicka has so far kept the new airline owners to their word on retaining jobs and in demonstrating a contrasting leadership style to that of Joyce’s slash-and-burn approach,” says Kaine. That said, he’s not a complete fan.
Her point may have been rational. It may even have been what most people were thinking. But it’s always tricky for an airline CEO to talk about death. Asked if she stands by those comments now, she replies: “Well, if you look at what I actually said, you know, it was a soundbite at the very end of a very long discussion. And in context, it all made sense, because I didn’t say what you implied. But that’s the impression that people were left with.
When the IPO sales campaign gets under way, the challenge for Hrdlicka, Bain Capital and their bankers at Goldman Sachs, Barrenjoey and UBS will be handling the due diligence – the forensic investigation of a company by local and international fund managers who bring a special brand of scepticism. They have seen every trick in the private equity book and many know what it is like to be sold mutton dressed up as lamb.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, provided people are allowed to challenge the boss. When pressed on this, Hrdlicka says Virgin’s executive committee has a culture of questioning ideas put forward by line managers, something that, she says, did not happen in the years leading into administration.Attila Csaszar
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Setback for Wellcamp Airport, touted as a national spaceport, as Virgin Orbit announces bankruptcyA US company that was due to launch rockets from Queensland files for bankruptcy, dealing a blow to a regional airport that was selected to be a base.
Read more »
Concerns raised for housing affordability as Australia’s population grows ‘very sharply’The Australian population growth has picked up “very sharply” after the pandemic leading to concerns raised for housing and rental prices, says Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe. “The growth in the number of dwellings has exceeded growth in our population, this was especially so during the pandemic when population growth slowed to its lowest pace since the first world war,” Mr Lowe said. “Despite the slower population growth, there was only a modest increase in the rental vacancy rate, this is primarily because the demand for residential floorspace increased as people worked from home and the average number of people living in each household fell. “It takes a long time for housing supply to respond to shifts in population growth … one possible adjustment over the next short period of time is that the average number of people living in each dwelling might increase, reversing the pandemic... if that were to happen it would reduce overall demand for new dwellings.”
Read more »
Dutton ‘misleading’ as Albanese ‘loud and clear’ on support for regional VoicesThe Albanese government is 'loud and clear' on its support for Indigenous Voices in regional Australia and it is 'simply misleading' for Peter Dutton to suggest otherwise, says Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney. “I want to say loud and clear; Labor government supports regional Voices ... already being rolled out in places like South Australia and Victoria, where there has been much progress,” said Ms Burney at a press conference on Wednesday. “The Voice will make sure that Voices in remote and regional communities are heard and it’s simply misleading for Mr Dutton to suggest anything otherwise. “I believe the 2023 referendum will unite Australia, it will bring people together and it will move Australia forward for a better future.”
Read more »
Aldi Australia boss Tom Daunt to run global supermarket operationThe local discount retailer will now be led by two women: Anna McGrath and Marietta Schorn.
Read more »
Australia reassures neighbours on gas exports: KingResources Minister Madeleine King has moved to reassure regional nations concerned about energy security after a warning from Japan.
Read more »