Qantas’ digital and customer head steps down months after cyber breach, internal memo shows

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(Reuters) -Qantas’s chief customer and digital officer ‌Catriona Larritt will step down by the end of December, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters on Thursday, months after the airline faced one of Australia’s biggest cyber breaches in years.

In the note to staff, group CEO Vanessa Hudson said Larritt will leave the group to “pursue external opportunities”.  

Larritt has been with the group since 2015 and has worked with the airline’s units Jetstar and Freight. She took over her current role in September 2023, and her responsibilities included customer experience, brand, marketing and technology, according to the company website.

In July, the airline said more than a million customers had sensitive details such as phone numbers, birth dates or home addresses accessed as part of the cyber breach.

After Larritt’s departure, corporate affairs chief Danielle Keighery will be responsible for brand and marketing, while risk chief Andrew Monaghan will oversee cyber security, Hudson said.

Additionally, chief marketing officer Petra Perry and her team will report to Keighery to help recover the group’s brand and reputation.

Meanwhile, chief information security officer Matt Biber and his team will report to Monaghan, bringing cyber security and risk to further strengthen governance, Hudson added. 

(Reporting by Sherin Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Eileen Soreng)