Former Qantas executive manager appointed Wayfare acting chief

Queenstown resident and former Qantas customer operations executive manager, Ian Jackson (above), has been appointed Wayfare acting chief executive.

The announcement follows last month’s resignation of Wayfare Chief Executive Richard Lauder.

Wayfare Chair Jim Boult says the board had begun the process of recruiting for a new chief executive but did not want to rush the process, which could take six to nine months to complete.

“Given the challenges being faced by the industry at present, the Wayfare Board believes we need strong and experienced leadership in the business throughout this period. A fortuitous opportunity has arisen for us to appoint a skilled and proven person as acting CE,” says Boult.

Ian Jackson is a New Zealander who has lived in Queenstown for the last two years. He started off his career in tourism before working for Qantas for 14 years, most recently as executive manager customer operations. In that role he was responsible for more than 10,000 staff in ground and inflight operations across the Qantas business.

“Ian’s expertise in creating and leading customer focused teams that deliver innovative customer outcomes fits perfectly with Wayfare, and we are very pleased that he is available to come on board at this time,” says Boult.

Ian Jackson joins Wayfare this week, to work with departing Chief Executive Richard Lauder to ensure a smooth transition.

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