THE man once touted as the next Virgin Australia Chief Executive Officer has been appointed to arguably the next best position, named Chief Commercial Officer this week.
Paul Jones (pictured) was ushered into the role quietly by the Aussie carrier, with Jones announcing the news on LinkedIn via a brief statement.
VA’s former Chief Customer Officer was considered to be a frontrunner as Jayne Hrdlicka’s replacement until a campaign by the Transport Workers Union (TWU) and political pressure put paid to his CEO aspirations.
The TWU said it would not support VA’s tie-up with Qatar Airways if Jones was appointed to the top job, with Dave Emerson ultimately landing the key promotion last week (TD 05 Mar).
The primary reason for the resistance was Jones’ key involvement in sacking workers when he was previously Chief Operating Officer at Qantas.
When contacted for comment, the TWU said Virgin Australia “made the right call not to appoint Jones, the architect of illegal outsourcing at Qantas”.
“Ultimately anyone playing a part in illegal actions will always have a question mark over them,” TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine told Travel Daily.
The TWU also confirmed a meeting will be held with the carrier this week, which will seek to reset union relations.
“We look forward to meeting incoming CEO Dave Emerson with the view to establishing a co-operative relationship when it comes to worker consultation.”
