Dixon:Remarkably Unremarkable
At a time when most people are considering retiring the 58 year old Dixon was handed the job of Qantas CEO.
He had no particular qualifications for the position other than he was a mate of James Strong
Dixon had a been a little bit of a journalist and a little bit of a marketer.Nothing in his background earmaked him for this position.
His tenure has been characterized by deceit,bullying and intimidation.
Dixon would often pit one manger against another for no other reason than to enjoy the spectacle.
There was one thing on his agenda...break the culture and the unions at Qantas.In this he was aided enormously by the hollow shadowy Ian Oldmeadow.
Dixon is a man of the flesh...a philandering heavy drinker.A weak man when it came to self discipline.
Also he had difficulty in managing his greed.Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine he would have so much money and power.
He certainly made the most of it.
Dixon was also extraordinarily lucky.The demise of Ansett provided Qantas with 8 years growth domestically in the space of six months.Sars and 911 allowed him to call onthe goodwill of his employees.He asked for a wage freeze and a suspension of conditions indicating that recognition would be forthcoming once business got back to normal.Dixon reneged.He was never trusted again.
Dixon continually talked Qantas down.It became obvious why when the APA bid materialized.It had been in planning for almost two years.His sense of entitlement was bearly contained at the idea of receiving $60m for handing over the icon.
Qantas employees had an expectation to be well led and appreciated.They got neither.
Buntossers..Cabin Crew.Softcocks..Pilots.Derision of employees by a CEO.
The destruction of shareholder value and the creation of executive wealth were also characteristics of Dixon's tenure."Its all about the shareholders"was Dixon's mantra.No one really did well out of Qantas except Dixon.
He managed to distance himself from the freight price fixing scandal and allowed Jackson to take the fall for the failed APA bid.
An unpleasant character who cut costs to the point where operationally Qantas is almost a basket case.He is leaving at a time when even Qantas safety record is under threat.
Qantas is profitable but at what cost and for how long?.The network has shrunk,service has deteriorated and on time departure of aircraft is a very rare occurrence.
He leaves when the airline is on the brink,the share price is $3.29(about the same price as when he took over 10 years ago)and employees are totally disengaged.
In short he leaves a mess for someone elase to clean up.Not like a "junkyard dog" but more like a ****house rat
Dixon...remarkably unremarkable.
Good riddance
Last edited by blackguard; 31st Jul 2008 at 01:16.