Our Team
Jayne Hrdlicka
Chief Executive Officer, Virgin Australia Group
Jayne joined Virgin Australia in November 2020 with over 20 years of leadership experience in the consumer, industrial and aviation sectors. Prior to her appointment, Jayne was Chief Executive Officer of The a2 Milk Company and held various leadership roles at Qantas Group for nearly a decade. She was instrumental in the design of Qantas’ loyalty program and was Chief Executive Officer of Qantas Loyalty and Digital Ventures, as well as Chief Executive Officer of Jetstar Group. Jayne is a former senior partner with Bain & Company in the firm’s Customer Strategy and Marketing Practice and led Bain’s Customer Practice for the Asia region. She serves as the Chair of Tennis Australia and is a member of the Hawaiian Airlines’ Board of Directors. She is also a member of Chief Executive Women.
Lisa Burquest
Chief People Officer
Lisa joined Virgin Australia in February 2021 and has over 28 years of experience as a people and culture specialist working for significant ASX companies including BHP, Origin Energy, Jetstar/Qantas Airlines and The a2 Milk Company. Lisa is equipped with strong practical expertise in developing and executing successful ‘People and Culture’ strategies in organisations undergoing significant transformation and growth.
Alistair Hartley
Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer
Alistair joined Virgin Australia as Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer in March 2021. Alistair has nearly two decades of experience in strategy in the aviation sector, including four years as Head of Operations Strategy and Crew Logistics at Virgin Atlantic Airways (UK) and five years with Jetstar Airways, including as Head of Strategy and as Executive Manager Network, Planning and Strategy. Alistair joined Virgin Australia following more than five years at International Airlines Group (IAG) in the UK, most recently as Director of Strategy.
Race Strauss
Chief Financial Officer
Race joined Virgin Australia in the role of Chief Financial Officer in March 2023. Race brings extensive experience in the aviation and consumer goods industries, with roles in multinational listed companies, most recently as Group Chief Financial Officer of The a2 Milk Company. Prior to a2, Race held CFO positions with Qantas and Jetstar, and was the Vice President of Finance for Unilever Southeast Asia and Australia based in Singapore.
Nick Rohrlach
CEO, Velocity Frequent Flyer
Nick joined Virgin Australia in September 2021. Prior to this, Nick held several executive positions at Jetstar, including Co-CEO and Executive Director (Jetstar Japan) and Executive Manager of Customer and Strategy. He also directed the launch of Jetstar in Hong Kong. Before joining Jetstar, Nick was at The Boston Consulting Group, working in the Sydney and Dubai offices, for nearly eight years. He was a management consultant, providing advice to a range of international clients, including several airlines.
Susan Schneider
Chief Legal and Risk Officer
Susan joined Virgin Australia in 2012 and was appointed to the role of Chief Legal & Risk Officer and Company Secretary in March 2021. Susan has more than 17 years of legal and risk experience in Australia and overseas. Prior to joining Virgin Australia, Susan worked in the London office of international law firm Clifford Chance and in the Brisbane office of McCullough Robertson, advising on mergers and acquisitions and Corporations law.
Dave Emerson
Chief Commercial Officer
Dave joined Virgin Australia as Chief Commercial Officer in June 2021. He has over 25 years of experience in the aviation and tourism industries. Prior to joining Virgin Australia, Dave led Bain & Company’s global airline practice, based in Dallas. In this role with Bain, he advised dozens of major airlines (across all major geographies) undergoing substantial commercial and operational transformation.
Stuart Aggs
Chief Operations Officer
Stuart joined Virgin Australia in 2004. After working in a variety of operational roles for 15 years, spanning compliance and regulation, safety, and flight operations (including Director of Group Flight Operations), Stuart was appointed Chief Operations Officer in September 2019. Prior to joining Virgin Australia Stuart held roles at REX and Hazleton Airlines covering safety, compliance, quality assurance and regulatory affairs.
Paul Jones
Chief Customer and Digital Officer
Paul joined Virgin Australia in July 2021 and has extensive experience in aviation, fast moving consumer goods and technology businesses in Australia, the UK, and the US. Before joining Virgin Australia, Paul worked at Qantas in a variety of customer, operations and technology roles including most recently, as Chief Operating Officer. Prior to Qantas, Paul was Chief Information Officer and Vice President of Integration at Mars, based in the US.
Libby Minogue
Chief Marketing Officer
Libby was appointed Chief Marketing Officer in April 2021. Libby has over 20 years of experience in marketing, media, content and digital across Australia and the US. Prior to joining Virgin Australia, Libby held executive roles at REA Group, Foxtel Media and FOX Cable Networks in the US.
Christian Bennett
Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer
Christian joined Virgin Australia in November 2022. Most recently he was Chief Reputation Officer at Woolworths Group Ltd. He has extensive experience across senior corporate-affairs related appointments including General Electric, BHP Billiton and Santos. Before entering the private sector, Christian spent 14 years with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, including diplomatic postings to Harare, Washington DC and as Australian High Commissioner to Brunei. He also served on secondments as North Asia Adviser in the Foreign Minister's Office and as an International Adviser in the Prime Minister's Department.