Goyder to steer Qantas as chair

Richard Goyder will become chair of Qantas in October, less than a year after he joined the board of the Sydney-based carrier, replacing Leigh Clifford after more than a decade in the role.

Mr Goyder was chief executive of Wesfarmers for 12 years, a period that included the conglomerate’s purchase of Coles and unsuccessful expansion of Bunnings into the UK market through the acquisition of Homebase.

He joined the business in 1993, with his roles including as finance director and chief financial officer.

Since leaving Wesfarmers, Mr Goyder has secured range of roles, including becoming chair of oil and gas producer Woodside Petroleum, the WA Symphony Orchestra and the Channel 7 Telethon Trust, while he was appointed chair of the AFL Commission in 2017.

Previous positions included as chairman of Scotch College and as a director of the Fremantle Dockers.

The changeover will happen after Qantas’s annual meeting, scheduled on October 26.

The business has 30,000 employees.

Mr Clifford said it had been a privilege to lead the board for 11 years, and that the airline had never been in a stronger position, while Qantas said he had led the airline to record levels of profitability, customer satisfaction and employee engagement.

One notable moment during his tenure was the 2011 industrial dispute, which culminated in an unprecedented lock out and grounding of flights.

Mr Goyder said the business was one of the world’s best-performing airlines, and an iconic Australian company.