Vanessa Hudson

Early life and education Hudson grew up in Northern Sydney. She attended and matriculated at Pymble Ladies' College in 1986. She later graduated from the University of Technology Sydney in 1991 with a Bachelor of Business (BBus).

Career Hudson began her career in external audits at Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu for two years, before joining Qantas in 1994 as an internal audit supervisor. Then she became finance controller in the commercial division of Qantas.

Hudson relocated to Los Angeles in 2013 when she was named the senior vice-president of the American arm of Qantas.

In February 2018, she was appointed as chief customer officer of Qantas Group, then becoming the chief financial officer. She was also CFO during the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, both of which affected global oil prices and prompted the airline to implement a hedging strategy. In May 2023, it was announced that Hudson would succeed Alan Joyce as the chief executive officer of Qantas, becoming the first woman to lead the company.

Her official appointment as Qantas CEO was initially set to occur at the conclusion of Joyce's 15-year tenure at the annual general meeting in November 2023, although her appointment was expedited following Joyce's early departure in September. On 5 September 2023, it was announced Joyce would quit early following revelations the company may have continued to sell tickets for flights that had already been cancelled, with Hudson taking over the following day.

She was named in the Fortune's list of Most Powerful Women in 2023.

Personal life Hudson is married and has two adult daughters.