She has held senior roles in corporate and industry sales at Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia in Sydney. O’Connor has also led teams across the region including in her most recent role as general manager, New Zealand, for Getinge, a global medical technology company. She starts at Qantas in April.

The appointment comes at a time  when Qantas initiatives in the pipeline include a new lounge precinct at Auckland International Airport, set to open later this year, inaugural non-stop flights from Auckland to New York, scheduled to commence in mid-June, and a multi-million dollar investment in Qantas’ inflight and dining experience with a significant menu enhancement programme being rolled out this month.

O’Connor will also continue to work with trade partners on the roll out of the Qantas Distribution Platform in the region, designed to enhance the service that agents provide to customers with a wider range of products, including special offers for Qantas Frequent Flyers, ancillary products and dynamic commission opportunities.