Dixon has major heart surgery?
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Dixon has major heart surgery?
If the article below is true, G Dixon will not have his hands on the controls at qantas for at least a couple of months! Which begs the question, who's going to be running the show in the new year with all the industrial turmoil that is likely to occur this month?
January 01, 2008 12:00am
QANTAS boss Geoff Dixon is in St Vincent's Private Hospital after major surgery.
Sources told The Daily Telegraph the high-profile chief who joined Qantas 14 years ago had a heart bypass operation.
It was understood Mr Dixon may have been operated on as recently as last Friday, although another St Vincent's source said this may have been a reference to a different Sydney identity.
"You'd be amazed how many high profile people have been through emergency this week," the source said.
Qantas refused to comment, saying it did not comment on its executives' health.
"We have nothing to disclose," a spokesperson said.
Qantas shareholders might think otherwise, as bosses of Mr Dixon's calibre must have regular physicals and attract "key man insurance" to mitigate the risk of them falling ill or worse.
The sudden absence of an experienced and highly-regarded CEO may create doubt in investors' minds about a company's immediate financial viability.
And Mr Dixon is an exceptionally well-respected businessman.
In addition to his duties at Qantas he occupies a non-executive director's seat on the boards of James Packer's Consolidated Media and Crown.
He also sits on the board of the Business Council of Australia, which is one of Australia's most powerful lobby groups.
It is not known whether his surgery was a scheduled procedure or otherwise.
A noted fitness enthusiast, Mr Dixon takes almost daily exercise, including morning runs.
But 2007 has been particularly demanding for the one-time journalist from Wagga Wagga who turns 69 in 2008.
For the first half of the year he was embroiled, along with the Qantas board and senior management, in a bizarre stand-off with many of its shareholders who could not be convinced they should accept a foreign private equity group's $5.45 a share takeover offer for the Flying Kangaroo.
During the offer period, Qantas chairwoman Margaret Jackson was admitted to hospital with deep vein thrombosis.
Mr Dixon, who would have earned up to $70 million in the event of a successful takeover, kept a slightly lower profile but maintained a punishing work schedule, including seemingly incessant rounds of enterprise bargaining negotiations with Qantas employees
January 01, 2008 12:00am
QANTAS boss Geoff Dixon is in St Vincent's Private Hospital after major surgery.
Sources told The Daily Telegraph the high-profile chief who joined Qantas 14 years ago had a heart bypass operation.
It was understood Mr Dixon may have been operated on as recently as last Friday, although another St Vincent's source said this may have been a reference to a different Sydney identity.
"You'd be amazed how many high profile people have been through emergency this week," the source said.
Qantas refused to comment, saying it did not comment on its executives' health.
"We have nothing to disclose," a spokesperson said.
Qantas shareholders might think otherwise, as bosses of Mr Dixon's calibre must have regular physicals and attract "key man insurance" to mitigate the risk of them falling ill or worse.
The sudden absence of an experienced and highly-regarded CEO may create doubt in investors' minds about a company's immediate financial viability.
And Mr Dixon is an exceptionally well-respected businessman.
In addition to his duties at Qantas he occupies a non-executive director's seat on the boards of James Packer's Consolidated Media and Crown.
He also sits on the board of the Business Council of Australia, which is one of Australia's most powerful lobby groups.
It is not known whether his surgery was a scheduled procedure or otherwise.
A noted fitness enthusiast, Mr Dixon takes almost daily exercise, including morning runs.
But 2007 has been particularly demanding for the one-time journalist from Wagga Wagga who turns 69 in 2008.
For the first half of the year he was embroiled, along with the Qantas board and senior management, in a bizarre stand-off with many of its shareholders who could not be convinced they should accept a foreign private equity group's $5.45 a share takeover offer for the Flying Kangaroo.
During the offer period, Qantas chairwoman Margaret Jackson was admitted to hospital with deep vein thrombosis.
Mr Dixon, who would have earned up to $70 million in the event of a successful takeover, kept a slightly lower profile but maintained a punishing work schedule, including seemingly incessant rounds of enterprise bargaining negotiations with Qantas employees
Bit like Alice in wonderland, (should have read Wizard of Oz, I don't know my fairy tales 
) does the man have a heart?
) does the man have a heart?
Last edited by RENURPP; 1st Jan 2008 at 01:58.
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Quote: "It is not known whether his surgery was a scheduled procedure or otherwise" and yet they conclude it was "major" surgery? 
Gee journos are great - they either know what the procedure was or they are speculating
Gee journos are great - they either know what the procedure was or they are speculating
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the op was to fix a broken heart after he missed out on $70 mill bonus when the private equity bid fell thru. Rumour has it when the surgeon opened him up he had to call for a hammer and chisel because he found a heart of stone in his chest cavity...
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"......The sudden absence of an experienced and highly-regarded CEO may create doubt in investors' minds about a company's immediate financial viability....."
Erm....ok, whatever! Yesterday: CEO Ok, Business Ok. Today: CEO not well, Business not well. GD must really drive things on a day to day basis over there!
The Comet.
Erm....ok, whatever! Yesterday: CEO Ok, Business Ok. Today: CEO not well, Business not well. GD must really drive things on a day to day basis over there!
The Comet.
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Full service private hospital?
GD why didnt you use a public hospital?
I also bet you used a couple of well known surgens that had undergone recent training and that were paid very well...and they might be members of a union..
unlike your staff....
hate to see the support equip plug fall out of the socket.
I also bet you used a couple of well known surgens that had undergone recent training and that were paid very well...and they might be members of a union..
unlike your staff....
hate to see the support equip plug fall out of the socket.
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Rumour
When the APA deal was being negotiated there was a rumour that Dixon had had a Cardiac Event.
This problem has been around for a while.
Hopefully he will leave the Rat early.
There would be celebrations everywhere.
This problem has been around for a while.
Hopefully he will leave the Rat early.
There would be celebrations everywhere.
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It's funny how he chose to be treated in OZ instead of going to Asia.
Geoff,aren't operations over there supposed to be cheaper and more cost effective than in Australia.
I feel Geoff the real answer is that deep inside you felt that you were worried that you wouldn't get the best treatment over there.
So why do you still continue to outsource maintenance to Asia when you know the quality of the workmanship is not up to the standard of Australia.
You wouldn't risk your health so why risk an aircraft carrying hundreds of pax.
Geoff,aren't operations over there supposed to be cheaper and more cost effective than in Australia.
I feel Geoff the real answer is that deep inside you felt that you were worried that you wouldn't get the best treatment over there.
So why do you still continue to outsource maintenance to Asia when you know the quality of the workmanship is not up to the standard of Australia.
You wouldn't risk your health so why risk an aircraft carrying hundreds of pax.
