(Reuters) – Carrier Virgin Australia said on Wednesday it had picked Dave Emerson, its chief commercial officer, for its top seat, succeeding Jayne Hrdlicka, while the airline works to relist itself on the local stock exchange.
Hrdlicka had indicated her intention to retire as the low-cost carrier’s chief back in February 2024.
Hrdlicka served as CEO for four years, leading the airline during its acquisition by U.S. private equity firm Bain Capital in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The news comes after last month’s warning by Employment Minister Murray Watt to the airline that it should closely evaluate the successor to Jayne Hrdlicka based on their industrial relations track record.
Paul Jones, Virgin’s chief customer officer, was then reportedly the front-runner for the top job.
Dave Emerson had joined the airline in 2021 and has previously led Bain & Company’s global airline practice, based in Dallas.
(Reporting by Rishav Chatterjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)
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