John Mullen on Rebuilding Qantas and Leading Through Adversity

About this episode

John Mullen discusses his experiences with adversity and leadership in the aviation industry, particularly focusing on Qantas and its challenges.

In this wide-ranging and deeply personal conversation, Qantas Group Chair John Mullen reflects on a life shaped by adversity, responsibility and long-term thinking. From childhood trauma and early lessons in survival, to leading some of the world’s largest logistics and aviation organisations, John shares how resilience is built long before a crisis arrives. We explore the collapse of Ansett and the brutal lessons of cash flow and timing, the realities of board accountability and leadership under pressure, and what it takes to restore trust in an airline that holds a unique place in Australia’s national identity. John speaks candidly about Qantas’ recent challenges, rebuilding employee and customer confidence, and the delicate balance between shareholder value and broader stakeholder responsibility. LINKS Follow Richard Richard De Crespigny on Instagram and Linkedin Buy Richard's book ' Fly! The Elements Of Resilience ' Follow Nova Podcasts on Instagram for videos from the podcast and behind the scenes content – @novapodcastsofficial SUPPORT Child abuse: Bravehearts Surviving abuse: Survivors & Mates Support Network (SAMSN) Mental health: Beyond Blue…

People in this episode

Host: Richard De Crespigny

Guest: John Mullen

Topics covered

• leadership
• resilience
• aviation
• corporate responsibility
• trust
• adversity

Keywords

• Qantas
• leadership
• resilience
• adversity
• aviation
• trust
• corporate responsibility

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Qantas, Ansett, Bravehearts, Survivors & Mates Support Network (SAMSN), Beyond Blue

Places: Australia, Gadigal People of the Eora Nation