Obituary
The Strong man of Qantas
April 1st 2013
He was known as “Mr Bow Tie”, but there was nothing effete about James Strong, the former managing director of Qantas Airways, who died last month aged 68.Read More »
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| James Strong wearing his trademark bow tie |
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| James Strong pictured in 1999 in Orient Aviation astride his 750cc motor cycle |
He was a man of steely resolve both in the cut and thrust of the business world and out of it. A graduate of Australia’s military academy, Duntroon, he had been a champion boxer, mountaineer, rugby player, sailor, sky diver and a fan of high-powered motor cycles. He also held a private pilot’s licence.
He joined the carrier as managing director in 1993 with a brief to make the airline attractive to the investment community as it prepared for privatization and a listing on the Australian Stock Exchange. It listed in 1995.
He cleared out the old management and set about restructuring the airline. “There was vehement opposition to myself and the management generally,” Strong told Orient Aviation in late 1999. “We were portrayed as destroyers. The confrontation was unbelievable.
“But I was not phased by it. It was a similar story when I was at Australian Airlines [which was later merged with Qantas].” By the turn of the millennium Strong had led Qantas to five successive years of profits.
Strong’s varied career started in the rough and tumble of Australia’s mining industry. It then progressed to law, brewing, aviation and the retail industry.
Qantas’ current chief, Alan Joyce, described Strong “as a giant of Australian aviation and Qantas history”.
