Qantas chair John Mullen on life after Alan Joyce and rebuilding the airline

This is just an excerpt. The full interview with JOHN MULLEN is available exclusively for Rampart subscribers - go to rampart.news to watch now.John Mullen is the chair of Qantas and one of Australia’s most respected business leaders.He took over as chair in February 2024 when the company was at a low ebb. Long time CEO Alan Joyce had resigned in disgrace the previous year and the company was broadly loathed by the Australian public.Two years later, Mullen says Qantas is in a much stronger position, both because of improved performance metrics like on-time performance but also a better corporate culture and “low ego” environment.As well as his duties at Qantas, Mullen chairs global logistics company Brambles, Treasury Wine Estates, professional services advisory Scyne and is a non-executive director of Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation.In this podcast interview, he speaks about his decades of leadership in the corporate sector, running the port and rail operator Asciano, negotiating with the union movement and working at TNT/Ansett under Rupert Murdoch and Australian corporate legend Sir Peter Abeles, who he calls a mentor.Mullen also discusses his deep passion for maritime history. He helped fund the search for the wreck of the Montevideo Maru, the Japanese warship that was sunk in World War Two carrying Australian prisoners of war, making it the greatest loss of life in the country’s history in one single incident. Rampart Talks is brought to you by ⁠⁠BHP⁠, ⁠Evidentia Group and Ray White Commercial⁠.About Joe Aston:Joe Aston is one of Australia's most influential commentators on business, finance and politics.For 12 years, he struck fear into the hearts of the nation's political and corporate leaders, transforming The Australian Financial Review's Rear Window into the nation's premier daily column.In 2024, he became a best-selling author with the publication of his first book, The Chairman's Lounge: The Inside Story of How Qantas Sold Us Out.And in 2025, he launched ⁠Rampart⁠, a premium subscription news publication specialising in Australian business and finance. Follow Joe Aston on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and ⁠X⁠.Follow Rampart on ⁠LinkedIn⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠X⁠, ⁠YouTube⁠.Rampart TalksProducer: Eliza HarveyProduction/Editing: Mentored Studios Commercial support: Squiz Media