February 1, 2019
Former Nanango high school student – and airline CEO – Andrea Staines was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in the Australia Day Honours announced last Saturday.
Andrea, who now lives at Tallai, is a Director of listed companies Freightway and SeaLink Travel, and is also on the Boards of UnitingCare, Tourism Australia, the NDIS, the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation and the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Her former Board roles include QIC, Aurizon, Australian Rail Track Corporation, Gladstone Ports, North Queensland Airports, Allconnex Water, and Goodstart Early Learning.
Her award citation reads “For service to business, and as a role model for women”.
Andrea attended Nanango State School and State High School from Years 1-11 before completing her education overseas after gaining a scholarship to the United World College of South East Asia in Singapore.
She then earned an MBA at the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Economics at the University of Queensland.
At the age of 38, Andrea became Australia’s first female CEO of a jet passenger airline, Australian Airlines, a Qantas subsidiary flying between Asia and Australia.
Prior to this, she was Qantas’ first female head of Global Revenue Management.
Andrea has studied and worked in the United States, Asia and Australia.
As well as her corporate roles, she is an occasional CEO mentor, Bond University business school lecturer and business speaker.
