Todd Sampson appointed to Qantas board
Sampson
Leo Burnett CEO Todd Sampson has added to his board director duties after being appointed as a non-executive director to the board of Qantas Airways, effective from 25 February.
Qantas chairman Leigh Clifford said: “Todd will bring a wealth of marketing experience to the Qantas Board, as well as broader business acumen from the senior leadership and strategy roles he has held.”
The airline has been increasingly looking to see how it can leverage the masses of data it has in its Frequent Flyer loyalty program, and last year launched a digital marketing agency called Red Planet.
On the appointment Sampson said: “Qantas is one of the most iconic brands in the world and it is an honour to join this Board.”
Sampson also sits on the board of Fairfax Media, having been appointed in May last year, is a regular guest host on Ten’s The Project, and will return as a panelist on the ABC’s Gruen this year as well as working on a second season of Redesign My Brain for the channel.
Miranda Ward worked for Mumbrella from 2013 to 2017, eventually becoming deputy editor. Miranda joined Mumbrella in September 2013 from Sky News.
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we always say our goal is to get a seat at the boardroom table. well done
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Good to see that QF will finally get some Board level marketing expertise. Bad to think it hasn’t had any for a long time. Interesting to see that the board didn’t feel there was anyone in the marketing department good enough for the position.
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Todd is the world’s greatest brand manager
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So…what are the conflict of interest implications? Given Todd’s role at Leo’s, will he be privy to the strategies and negotiations of rival agencies?
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Ricki – if you think agency appointments, let alone day-to-day agency stuff, are regularly discussed at board meetings then you’ve either had bad boards or never been privy to what is discussed at a board meeting…
I think it is pretty damed refreshing to see him appointed to the QF board.
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Jay is correct
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the only exec on the board is CEO – marketing (or any other function exec’s) generally aren’t on boards … investors don’t want them marking their own homework.
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How can he find time to do all these?
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He’s a chess piece in Alan’s strategy to convince shareholders and board members to invest heavily in marketing.
Todd might be an excellent ad man but he’ll be used to amplify’s Alan’s strategy not attend agency meetings.
My guess he’ll do less than 100 hours work annually as a board member.
Good luck Todd – I assume you have your own strategic plans.
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He must have an amazing PA to do it all
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So which way did the share price go?
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Appointing celebrity non-exec directors to the boards of listed companies is a new development, but this is a better appointment by Qantas than (retired) General Peter Cosgrove whose only qualifications were his decency and high public profile. The Qantas share price has doubled since October entirely due to the massive fall in fuel prices
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Obviously Todd has contributed so much to Fairfax during his time on the Board there, helping the organisation become the forefront of the newpaper industry and delivering large share price appreciation to long suffering shareholders.
Well done Qantas.
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@moneyman
“cheap cheap” as Todd has said if one of his current clients…
down 2% today… ouch
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We look forward to real improvements in service – not the masquerade wrapped up in slick 2 minute commercials that never deliver the proposition – now a marketer is on the board!
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A good reason to sell my Qantas shares.
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@PRPRO I’m going to suggest a former general knows quite a bit about logistics and moving people from one place to another. Someone who can run the defence forces is qualified to sit on a board of a large organisation.
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Catch up with him in the Gruen Transfer Lounge
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Qantas is in serious need of someone on the board who understands aircraft and what planes and scheduling will work on what routes – not another over-hyped marketing “guru.” Under the chairmanship of hardliner Leigh Clifford, whose only claim to fame is beating up on the unions back in his mining days, and his lackey Alan “Cheap As Chips” Joyce it’s been all spin while giving away routes to Emirates, which could devour the poor old Flying Kangaroo if allowed to do so, while losing millions on Jetstar’s pie-in-the-sky Asian expansion plans that have barely got off the ground. Sure, they’ve got lucky with the collapse in the oil price and finally given up on the ridiculous seat war with Virgin and so they’ll manage to massage the numbers and come up with a meager profit, on paper at least, in time for the next reporting season. However, Clifford continues to think flying people around the world is basically the same as digging rocks out of the dirt. But it’s a little more nuanced than that. Still, spin wins – that’s why Todd Sampson gets the keys to the executive dunny and a free pass to the Chairman’s Lounge.
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It’s amazing we all bemoan how marketing isn’t taken seriously but then a marketer/advertising person experiences wider success like Todd and we cut him down.
As much we like to think they do, large companies like QF don’t appoint celebs to the board for their own amusement … they would do due diligence just like you would expect a company that operates such a complicated service across the globe would. Give them some credit but more importantly we should be somewhat happy that if Todd Sampson can be treated seriously outside of advertising (TV, Non Exec Directorships) maybe there’s hope for the rest of us.
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Well said Shamma. Your sentiment motivated my earlier post.
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So Jay, you’re saying a company like Qantas, with all their issues and their large and broad marketing remit, would not discuss these issues at Board level? They would not discuss the implications of high level strategies and alliances? Or where the millions of dollars of money goes? I kinda thought the Board would absolutely have this within their areas of responsibility to understand, at least as part of annual reporting…as has been my experience working with many large company Boards.
I don’t have a personal objection to Todd being on the Board in any way shape or form. Just asking questions…
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To clarify, I wasn’t suggesting in any way that Todd would be attending agency meetings or looking over media plans. But if he’s not there to offer marketing advice and opinion on their current brand communications, why is he there?
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Wow advertising has made it to the boardroom.
Todd is not a marketer. He is an adman.
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@Jay and @Ryan you are incorrect. The Qantas board would absolutely discuss agency appointment and campaign and communications strategy. It’s critical to the business.
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The cult of Todd Sampson rolls on. I still fail to see the magic, though mind you I can’t see it with Richard Branson either or anyone who fronts a TED talk. Self-basting PR over substance. I predict a limited stay for Toddy.
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Oh, and Shamma, yes corporations do make mistakes in board appointments and frequently appoint celebs to their boards, a kind of tokenism, as a way to try and change the image of the board. Take a look at many major boards in the US, littered with token appointments – filling chairs, spouting their mantra and meanwhile the corporation just rolls on. As for Todd, think Joan Crawford and PepsiCo.
Have a Nice Day.
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Ernie Milkcart assume you have never had an invitation?
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