I can't think of a single ASX 20 company that doesn't have a significant amount of technical experience in the company's core business on its board. Qantas isn't in the top 20, obviously, but the point remains relevant.
Originally Posted by V-Jet
I guess that would be why you don't see many Primary School Teachers or Nurses on the boards of Westpac or even BHP.
Gail Kelly, the current CEO of Westpac used to be a high school teacher
That said, she had a quite lengthy banking career after she left teaching.
Ralph Norris kicked off a $600m core banking platform upgrade whilst CEO of the Commonwealth Bank, which put that bank in a position where its competitors will spend several years playing catchup, because of the payment systems and other services that sort of technology uplift enables.
Norris happened to be a career banker with his roots in IT, I can't help but
think that actual experience in the business helped him a lot there.