Most Powerful Women Asia

Vanessa Hudson

Courtesy of Qantas Group
  • Title
    Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
  • Company/Affiliation
    Qantas
  • Country/Territory
    Australia

Vanessa Hudson took over as Qantas CEO in 2023 with a mandate to rebuild trust after the damaging tenure of her predecessor, Alan Joyce. That turnaround hit some turbulence this year: Underlying pretax profit fell 14% to 2.1 billion Australian dollars ($1.5 billion) in fiscal 2026, as the Middle East conflict added a net 420 million Australian dollars ($292 million) in costs. Hudson is executing Qantas's largest-ever fleet renewal, with 200-plus aircraft on order. Yet Project Sunrise—direct Sydney-London flights on new A350s—has been delayed again, now set for October 2027.