Margaret Anne Jackson (born 17 March 1953) is an Australian corporate executive. She was the Chairwoman of

Qantas Airways Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the List of airlines by foundation date, world's third-oldest airline sti ...

from 2000 to 2007.

Early life and education

Jackson was born in Warragul, Victoria, and studied at Warragul High School. She graduated with a Bachelor of Economics (BEc) degree from

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...

and a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

(MBA) from the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

Career

Jackson was the

Chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...

from 2000 to 2007 and was the first woman to become chairman of a top-50 publicly listed company in Australia. She had been a director of Qantas since 1992, her other directorships include the

ANZ ANZ may refer to: People * Anz (musician), a British DJ and electronic musician Banks * ANZ (bank), Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, the fourth-largest bank in Australia ** ANZ Bank New Zealand, the largest bank in New Zealand ** ...

since 1994 and Billabong. Jackson is a former partner of accounting firm

KPMG KPMG International Limited (or simply KPMG) is a multinational professional services network, and one of the Big Four accounting organizations. Headquartered in Amstelveen, Netherlands, although incorporated in London, England, KPMG is a net ...

and has worked for accounting firms BDO Nelson Parkhill and Pricewaterhouse (now

PricewaterhouseCoopers PricewaterhouseCoopers is an international professional services brand of firms, operating as partnerships under the PwC brand. It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is considered one of the Big Four accounting ...

). She is a chartered accountant and a fellow of the

Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia (the institute) was the professional accounting body representing Chartered Accountants in Australia before it merged with the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants to become Charter ...

Qantas takeover bid

In early May 2007, Jackson faced mounting pressure to resign from the board of

after the dramatic last-minute failure of the Qantas takeover bid by Airline Partners Australia. After the bid failed, she faced criticism that she had undervalued the airline, was reluctant to release upgraded profit forecasts and did not act in the best interests of the majority of shareholders. Jackson was one of the most outspoken supporters of the takeover bid and, when asked of the ramifications of the bid failing, she famously stated, "If anyone thinks this will happen without affecting the (share) price then they have a mental problem with how the market works." This was interpreted by some observers as an insult to shareholders and evidence that Jackson was actively lobbying for the takeover consortium. On 17 May 2007, Jackson informed the Qantas board that she would "retire from the board when her term ends at this year's

AGM AGM or agm may refer to: Military * Air-to-ground missile, a missile designed to be launched from military aircraft * Artillery Gun Module, an air-portable self-propelled howitzer * Missile Range Instrumentation Ship (US Navy hull classification ...

", due to be held in November of that year. The board put its support behind Jackson's decision to stay on until then because it ensured "continuity and stability" was maintained in the company.

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the s ...

, then the Australian Prime Minister, described Jackson's retirement decision as "a matter for her" and made no direct comment, but expressed his support and confidence in her. Following the collapse of the Qantas sale bid, number of highly respected businesspeople and personalities spoke out in support of Jackson including

Sir Rod Eddington Sir Roderick Ian Eddington AO FTSE (born 2 January 1950) is an Australian businessman. He was first appointed to the board of News Corporation in 1999, still serves on News Corp board and also serves on the board of another of Rupert Murdoch' ...

(Former

Chief Executive Officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

British Airways British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a populati ...

) and former Victorian Premier

Jeff Kennett Jeffrey Gibb Kennett (born 2 March 1948) is a former Australian politician who was the 43rd Premier of Victoria between 1992 and 1999, and currently a media commentator. He was previously the president of the Hawthorn Football Club, serving ...

. As Qantas's business performance has deteriorated, and with it the company's stock price, opinions on Jackson and her support of the sale bid have shifted. By May 2008, the share price had fallen by over 40 per cent since the takeover period with the bid price sitting at a 33-per-cent premium. Many media commentators such as Jennifer Hewett have suggested Jackson had been correct in her assertions that the takeover offer was a good deal for shareholders. The increasing difficulties surrounding Qantas seen in 2013 and 2014 led to further public comments by commentators in support of Jackson's actions and comments surrounding the proposed Qantas sale – "Meanwhile, former Qantas chair Margaret Jackson will no doubt muse on that $5.40 a share offer which was rejected just before the GFC. She was right, anyone who didn't accept was mad."

Honours and awards

* 2003 – Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) “''For service to business in diverse and leading Australian corporations and to the community in the area of support for medical research, the arts and education''”

References

External links

Margaret Jackson bio – Qantas Board of DirectorsMargaret Jackson Lecture at Australian National University
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Margaret 1953 births Living people Companions of the Order of Australia Businesspeople in aviation Australian corporate directors Qantas people Australian accountants Australian women accountants University of Melbourne alumni Monash University alumni Women corporate directors Australian women business executives People from Warragul