Qatar Airways to acquire 25% of Virgin Australia

[justinbrett]

QR have had 3 CEOs - a 2 year founder, the 17 year Al Baker and the current one. I dare say Qantas had Aussie CEOs for a while after merging with TAA.

I think the relevant comparison here (ie WRT VA) is to who are the CEOs of other airline/air entities that QR has minority stakes in, not the parent entity. I don't think there is a Qatari amongst them.

We've had this discussion before. My bet would be that QR 'suggests' to Bain, as current majority owner, a CEO that they have had experience with before, a 'safe pair of hands' for a year or so. Internationally recognised, for the IPO, and probably with a very capable Aussie under them, who would be in line to be CEO after the IPO is bedded down. Its very usual to have a CEO to take a company through an IPO (like I did ) who moves on once the company is "operating normally" (like I did ).

I was talking about board members, just using the CEO as an indication of their lack of form appointing foreign CEOs unlike their peers. Just pointing out QR is likely required to appoint Australian nationals for their rep(s) (at least the way I read the reported FIRB conditions, which albeit are summarised).

As for QR appointing the CEO, well again whether it's a condition or not, appointing a foreigner is going to be counter productive.

OT but QF has always had Australian CEOs. AJ was a full citizen. Just because they have an accent (like JH) doesn't make them any less Australian