Qantas appoints new 'Head of Safety'
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Qantas appoints new 'Head of Safety'
ANNOUNCEMENT FROM GROUP EXECUTIVE QANTAS AIRLINES OPERATIONS
In September, Rob Kella announced significant changes to the Risk and Assurance function, including the Qantas Airlines AOC transfer from Alan Joyce to me. As a result the Qantas Airlines safety division of Group Safety was separated to create a dedicated Qantas Airlines safety department. These changes led to the need to appoint a Head of Safety, Qantas Airlines.
After an extensive internal and external search process I am delighted to announce that Susan D’Ath Weston was the stand out candidate and has now been appointed to this very important role. As many of you are aware, Susan has been acting in the role since September. She has been a crucial member of the team providing safety oversight for the return to service of the A380 fleet and has also been of huge support to me personally during this busy time.
Susan comes to the role with more than 30 years' involvement in the aviation industry, which includes experience as an airline pilot, corporate jet charter pilot and holding the Chief Pilot delegation for helicopter operations. In addition, Susan has also held various management roles including Executive Director of an International Airshow, manager of an in-flight catering company as well as hands on experience in airline operations control.
Please join with me in welcoming Susan to the role and to the Operations team.
Lyell Strambi
In September, Rob Kella announced significant changes to the Risk and Assurance function, including the Qantas Airlines AOC transfer from Alan Joyce to me. As a result the Qantas Airlines safety division of Group Safety was separated to create a dedicated Qantas Airlines safety department. These changes led to the need to appoint a Head of Safety, Qantas Airlines.
After an extensive internal and external search process I am delighted to announce that Susan D’Ath Weston was the stand out candidate and has now been appointed to this very important role. As many of you are aware, Susan has been acting in the role since September. She has been a crucial member of the team providing safety oversight for the return to service of the A380 fleet and has also been of huge support to me personally during this busy time.
Susan comes to the role with more than 30 years' involvement in the aviation industry, which includes experience as an airline pilot, corporate jet charter pilot and holding the Chief Pilot delegation for helicopter operations. In addition, Susan has also held various management roles including Executive Director of an International Airshow, manager of an in-flight catering company as well as hands on experience in airline operations control.
Please join with me in welcoming Susan to the role and to the Operations team.
Lyell Strambi
Not meaning to be offensive but:
Chief Pilot delegation for helicopter operations
Executive Director of an International Airshow
manager of an in-flight catering company
Have management just given someone else the flick within the department? Whilst plenty of 'experience' the lady would not appear to be a career 'safety' person.
Calling her the "Stand out" candidate is a deliberate and stupid insult to anyone else who might have applied for the job. The insinuation implied is that they will die before they are ever promoted and should therefore leave Qantas.
To put it another way; LS has just told any competitors or colleagues of the lady to "eff off and die."
The usual formulation is that "there was a very strong field of candidates, and....."
To put it another way; LS has just told any competitors or colleagues of the lady to "eff off and die."
The usual formulation is that "there was a very strong field of candidates, and....."
A sure sign that he is more concerned than he lets on !!!
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That's what I meant Arnold. Hopefully the Senate will impose criminal charges on CEOs that, in the event of a reportable incident or accident are found not to have given proper attention or allocated sufficient resources to correctly manage safety. Punishment: a term behind bars. Yes that is how seriously I think safety in aviation should be taken.
The SOP change that contributed to the JQ botched go around is a prime example of where a term in jail is due to the management who illegally introduced it.
The SOP change that contributed to the JQ botched go around is a prime example of where a term in jail is due to the management who illegally introduced it.
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The QF Safety Matrix
genex,
He's the controller of the Matrix, this appointment is for one of the new silos within the Matrix...
but will he be able to keep it together when it counts?
Stay Alive
He's the controller of the Matrix, this appointment is for one of the new silos within the Matrix...
but will he be able to keep it together when it counts?
Stay Alive
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Kelpie,
Jail terms for CEO's, ya dreamin' mate. We're talking Australia, do a bargain with the prosecutors and you can do 18 months on a manslaughter charge for murdering your wife.
Jail terms for CEO's, ya dreamin' mate. We're talking Australia, do a bargain with the prosecutors and you can do 18 months on a manslaughter charge for murdering your wife.
you can do 18 months on a manslaughter charge for murdering your wife.
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It is interesting how AJ is distancing himself from safety by introducing a couple of management tiers. A sure sign that he is more concerned than he lets on !!!
Now they can appoint other managers as the 'responsible' person for whatever role, inlcuding a 'head of' safety and the associated responsibilities, however they cannot palm off 'accountability', things have changed.
So you will definitely see CEO's start going to jail in the future for the failings of their company, e.g when accidents occur and deaths are involved etc. And it is about time too. No more gravy train for these people where they can do what they want when they want without getting their a#s in the sling.
I honestly doubt that he is even slightly concerned with saftey. what he is doing is put more layers between him and the eventual outcomes of his policies. It is those people that will take the blame, not him, you watch and see if I'm not right.
Jail terms for CEO's, ya dreamin' mate. We're talking Australia, do a bargain with the prosecutors and you can do 18 months on a manslaughter charge for murdering your wife.
genex,
He's the controller of the Matrix, this appointment is for one of the new silos within the Matrix...
but will he be able to keep it together when it counts?
He's the controller of the Matrix, this appointment is for one of the new silos within the Matrix...
but will he be able to keep it together when it counts?
Last edited by gobbledock; 20th Dec 2010 at 05:24.
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This wouldn't be the lady that ran Bundy Helicopters (sorry helicopter) for a little while and sat on the Bundaberg International Airshow Board that then went to PacBlue would it? Catered Qlink out of the Cafe in the terminal.
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Illegal SOP changes???
Since when is it illegal to make changes to the SOPs?
It would be different if we were talking about making a change to the AFM....
Don't think the SOP for a go around is in the AFM.....
Could be wrong
It would be different if we were talking about making a change to the AFM....
Don't think the SOP for a go around is in the AFM.....
Could be wrong
Why is there such a lack of pilots and engineers being promoted to positions like this within airlines? Lack of people applying or is it that senior managers just have no respect for us anymore? Seems to be the case that if your actually have something to do with aircraft at an airline these days your not management material!
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Why is there such a lack of pilots and engineers being promoted to positions like this within airlines? Lack of people applying or is it that senior managers just have no respect for us anymore? Seems to be the case that if your actually have something to do with aircraft at an airline these days your not management material!
Unlike today's CEO who has a background in financial consultancy, accounting and other toffee nose ****e, they would do a better job in the banking sector.
ANCDU:
Dear Oh Dear ANCDU!! You just don't understand do you?
The reason pilots and engineers aren't promoted is because then they would be a threat to existing management!
They are very rightly perceived as a threat [b]because then they would combine Formal authority with Informal authority.
Formal authority is a title. You can give anyone Formal authority.
Informal authority comes from being recognised by your peers as a natural leader because you have superior skills and experience.
When you get your MBA and get appointed to manage something that you have never done yourself, then all you have is formal authority. If the group you are managing has a natural leader with natural authority, and you don't immediately co-opt them, while learning as fast as you can about the business to give yourself a little informal authority, then you are setting yourself up for conflict. The normal response is to fire the person with the informal authority as quickly as possible, branding them a "trouble maker".
The exchange basically goes like this:
Manager (M): "I want "X" to be done this way like it says in this manual".
Informal Leader (L): "We can't do it that way. It doesn't work. It never has worked, the manual is BS. This is how we do it."
Manager: "I don't care what you do, I want it done like the theory says."
Informal Leader: "Listen Sonny........."
It's all downhill from there.
I've watched it done around Boardroom tables too. The last thing a know nothing manager or Board member wants to have to deal with is a someone who has the informal authority that arises from having detailed operational and technical knowledge of the subject under discussion because the manager will lose every time.
This experience was acquired through great pain as a once "know nothing" manager myself. Fortunately I realised and got the hell out of there.
Why is there such a lack of pilots and engineers being promoted to positions like this within airlines? Lack of people applying or is it that senior managers just have no respect for us anymore? Seems to be the case that if your actually have something to do with aircraft at an airline these days your not management material!
Dear Oh Dear ANCDU!! You just don't understand do you?
The reason pilots and engineers aren't promoted is because then they would be a threat to existing management!
They are very rightly perceived as a threat [b]because then they would combine Formal authority with Informal authority.
Formal authority is a title. You can give anyone Formal authority.
Informal authority comes from being recognised by your peers as a natural leader because you have superior skills and experience.
When you get your MBA and get appointed to manage something that you have never done yourself, then all you have is formal authority. If the group you are managing has a natural leader with natural authority, and you don't immediately co-opt them, while learning as fast as you can about the business to give yourself a little informal authority, then you are setting yourself up for conflict. The normal response is to fire the person with the informal authority as quickly as possible, branding them a "trouble maker".
The exchange basically goes like this:
Manager (M): "I want "X" to be done this way like it says in this manual".
Informal Leader (L): "We can't do it that way. It doesn't work. It never has worked, the manual is BS. This is how we do it."
Manager: "I don't care what you do, I want it done like the theory says."
Informal Leader: "Listen Sonny........."
It's all downhill from there.
I've watched it done around Boardroom tables too. The last thing a know nothing manager or Board member wants to have to deal with is a someone who has the informal authority that arises from having detailed operational and technical knowledge of the subject under discussion because the manager will lose every time.
This experience was acquired through great pain as a once "know nothing" manager myself. Fortunately I realised and got the hell out of there.