Former Virgin Australia chief joins Endeavour Group as new CEO
Endeavour Group — the parent company to brands including Dan Murphy’s and BWS — has announced its new CEO and MD following Steve Donohue’s departure last month.
Jayne Hrdlicka has taken on the role to deliver the company’s “next phase of growth”. The former Virgin Australia CEO will start on January 1, 2026, pending regulatory approvals.
Hrdlicka stepped down from her role at Virgin earlier this year, after four-and-a-half years. Prior to Virgin, she held CEO roles at A2 Milk, Qantas Loyalty, and Jetstar Group. She is also the president and chair of Tennis Australia.
The news came via an ASX announcement on Tuesday morning.
Jayne Hrdlicka
The company has been searching for a new CEO since Donohue announced his exit late last year, following six years in the top spot. He spent a total of 30 years with the group, where he oversaw major milestones including Endeavour’s split from Woolworths in 2021.
Donohue officially finished up last month. Endeavour Group’s chief marketing officer, Joanna Rose, has also just finished up with the group.
In the interim, Endeavour Group will be run by executive chairman Ari Mervis.
“Jayne has a proven track record leading consumer-facing businesses to success. She has led many complex organisations and delivered significant shareholder value by capturing the true potential of a company’s brands and assets,” Mervis said in the ASX announcement.
“After an extensive global search, the board is delighted to have secured such a highly capable leader. Jayne brings many strengths to the role including a history of using deep consumer insights to define successful strategy formulation and execution and extensive business transformation experience.”
Hrdlicka said Endeavour Group is an “extraordinary” company with an “unmatched portfolio” of brands and assets.
In the ASX announcement, she said she has a long history with the group’s retail and hotel businesses, initially as a consultant to Woolworths, then as a board member.
“Endeavour Group has much to play for. I look forward to working with the 30,000+ team members and together, continuing to deliver for millions of valued customers as we look to grow the company and unlock value for all of our shareholders,” she said.
Endeavour Group made some major moves to its marketing and advertising last year, including appointing a new creative agency — BMF — to work across its portfolio. It previously engaged several agencies, including Thinkerbell and M+C Saatchi for the various brands.
It also signed on as the foundation client for Howatson and Co’s Plus Also Studios, an AI-enabled creative tech company.
Plus Also Studios has been described to pioneer quality brand asset creation, personalisation, and automated orchestration via AI, all with complete performance attribution.
Endeavour Group’s GM of brand, creative & operations, Katie Dally, will be joined by Howatson and Co’s Chris Howatson and Hoang Nguyen at Mumbrella360 next month to share the AI agency’s efficiency and effectiveness journey.
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Lauren McNamara is the associate editor at Mumbrella, covering the creative and PR beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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