Former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has confirmed he will publish his memoirs on July 28 after months of speculation.
Titled “Touching the Jet Stream”, the book, published by Hardie Grant, is billed as “a compelling, factual and gripping memoir by one of Australia’s greatest chief executives” and will cover Joyce’s 30-year career in the aviation industry.
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“With a network spanning seven prime ministers and countless captains of industry, Alan Joyce offers a no-holds-barred account of some of the most important decisions made during his career at the helm of one of aviation’s most respected brands,” the publisher said.
In a post on LinkedIn, Joyce said she had two motivations for writing the book, which she described as about resilience and “what it really feels like to lead a crisis when there is no manual.”
“The first was to set the record straight about what really happened during my career: the global financial crisis, the grounding of the Qantas fleet in 2011, industrial battles, relentless public scrutiny and the period that brought global travel to a standstill: COVID-19,” he said.
“A lot of things were written and said in real time. I wanted to tell them as they unfolded, in the room, under pressure, with each decision carrying enormous consequences for tens of thousands of people.
“The second reason was more personal. I wanted to encourage young leaders to learn from my successes and failures, because I think that’s where the real lessons lie.
“I grew up in a working-class home in Dublin, the son of a cleaner and a factory worker, and found my way out through numbers: mathematics, then management science, and finally in the complex and volatile world of aviation.”
Joyce also said the book would address the connections he had made during his career, which spanned Aer Lingus, Ansett and Jetstar before being appointed chief executive of Qantas at the age of 42, a role he would hold until his retirement in 2023.
“Over nearly three decades in aviation leadership, I have had the privilege of working with some of the industry’s giants,” he said.
“And as CEO of Qantas, I worked alongside extraordinary people whose advice, courage and commitment I will always appreciate. This story belongs to them too.”
Alan Joyce was the keynote speaker at last year’s Australian Aviation Summit in Sydney.
