I think the problem is that if they're providing the 'outsiders opinion' (which I doubt), then they're certainly not being listened to.
Now let's see.
Clifford - Mining guy. I see how that fits into airline thinking. Dig a hole, extract minerals and sell it.
Joyce - Involved in Ansett before it collapsed. Only ever run a LCC, and turning a premium carrier into a LCC.
Cosgrove - An Army grunt. Fire bullets and kill people. "General Cosgrove served in the Australian Army from 1965 including command of the International Forces in East Timor from 1999 until the International Forces were withdrawn in February 2000. He was the Chief of the Australian Defence Force from July 2002 until his retirement in July 2005."
Patricia Cross - Mrs Cross is a former Director of Wesfarmers Limited, Suncorp-Metway Limited and AMP Limited, Chairman of Qantas Superannuation Limited and Deputy Chairman of Victoria's Transport Accident Commission. She has served in honorary Government roles including the Australian Financial Centre Forum and the Financial Sector Advisory Council, as well as numerous charities.
Goodmanson - Mr Goodmanson is a Director of Rio Tinto plc and Rio Tinto Limited.
From 1999 to 2009 he was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. Previous to this role, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of America West Airlines. Mr Goodmanson was also previously Senior Vice President of Operations for Frito-Lay Inc. and was a Principal at McKinsey & Company Inc. He spent 10 years in heavy civil engineering project management, principally in South East Asia.
Hounsell - Mr Hounsell is Chairman of PanAust Limited and a Director of Orica Limited, DuluxGroup Limited and Treasury Wine Estates Limited. He is also Chairman of Investec Global Aircraft Fund and a Director of Ingeus Limited.
Mr Hounsell was formerly a Director of Nufarm Limited and the Deputy Chairman of Mitchell Communication Group Limited. He was also a former Senior Partner of Ernst & Young, Chief Executive Officer and Country Managing Partner of Arthur Andersen and a Board Member of law firm Herbert Smith Freehills.
Meaney - Mr Meaney has extensive international experience in advisory and executive roles. He is a Director of moksha8 Pharmaceuticals, Inc and until recently he served as Chief Executive Officer of The Zuellig Group. Mr Meaney is a Member of the Asia Business Council and also serves as Trustee of Carnegie Mellon University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Mr Meaney has had broad airline experience, having been the Managing Director and Chief Commercial Officer of Swiss International Airlines and Executive Vice President of South African Airways responsible for sales, alliances and network management.
Prior to these roles, Mr Meaney spent 11 years providing strategic advisory services at Genhro Management Consultancy, as the Founder and Managing Director, and as a Principal with Strategic Planning Associates.
Mr Meaney holds United States, Swiss and Irish citizenships.
Corine Namblard - Earlier, Ms Namblard spent 19 years with Banque Nationale de Paris, holding roles in foreign exchange, debt and equity capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, and project finance.
Ms Namblard has held numerous board positions in investee companies including South Australian-based Flinders Ports. Ms Namblard was also Chair of the Geneva-based United Nations PPP Alliance and a Transport Expert for the European Commission.
Ms Namblard holds French and Canadian citizenships.
Paul Rayner - From 2002 to 2008, Mr Rayner was Finance Director of British American Tobacco plc based in London. Mr Rayner joined Rothmans Holdings Limited in 1991 as its Chief Financial Officer and held other senior executive positions within the Group, including Chief Operating Officer of British American Tobacco Australasia Limited from 1999 to 2001.
Previously Mr Rayner worked for 17 years in various finance and project roles with General Electric, Rank Industries and the Elders IXL Group.
Strong - This is where the rot started. He is Chairman of Kathmandu Holdings Limited and the Organising Committee for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. He is also a member of the Nomura Australia Advisory Board and a Director of the Australian Grand Prix Corporation and the Sydney Writers' Festival.
Mr Strong was formerly the Chairman of Woolworths Limited and Insurance Australia Group Limited. He was also formerly a Director of IAG Finance (New Zealand) Limited, the Group Chief Executive of the DB Group in New Zealand, National Chairman of Partners of Corrs Chambers Westgarth and Chief Executive Officer of Australian Airlines from 1985 until 1989.
He has been admitted as a barrister and/or solicitor in various state jurisdictions in Australia.
Barbara Ward - Ms Ward is a Director of a number of Brookfield Multiplex Group companies and O'Connell Street Associates Pty Ltd and is on the Advisory Board of LEK Consulting. She is also a Director of Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy.
She was formerly a Director of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Lion Nathan Limited, Brookfield Multiplex Limited, Allco Finance Group Limited, Rail Infrastructure Corporation and Delta Electricity. She was Chairman of Country Energy and NorthPower and a Board Member of Allens Arthur Robinson.
Ms Ward was Chief Executive Officer of Ansett Worldwide Aviation Services from 1993 to 1998. Before that, Ms Ward held various positions at TNT Limited, including General Manager Finance, and also served as a Senior Ministerial Adviser to The Hon PJ Keating.
I can see how all these people and their "qualifications" and outsiders opinions have been of great value to QANTAS over the years. Holding multiple nationalities, on boards of companies of no relevance to the airline industry (except maybe Meaney and Joyce, even though have been proven to be illiterate in carrying out their jobs).
Keg, you don't have to agree, but the proof is in the pudding. These outsiders are in positions they should not be in, and in no position to give orderly advice in how to run an airline. The problem is, that they are being listened to too much, and nobody dares to defy them, because they will be out of a job.
This is all too true in Australia. The powers that be believe they need outside "expertise" to run things locally. Both in government and business. How about having the balls to make your own decisions and not worry about importing someone elses problems to try and fix your own.