Leigh Sales in conversation with Joe Aston

From the must-read journalist on how power, money and influence work in this country, the full story of how Qantas, one of the nation’s favourite brands, brought itself to ground.

In his celebrated column 'Rear Window' for the Australian Financial Review, Joe Aston’s reporting of the ethical failings of Qantas spurred the early retirement of its CEO and the resignation of its chairman. With fresh interviews and revelations, written in Aston’s trademark swashbuckling style, The Chairman’s Lounge is the definitive account of how Qantas was brought to ground and who did it. It is a parable of our times.

About Joe Aston

Joe Aston is one of Australia’s most influential commentators on business, finance and politics. 

For 12 years he struck fear into the hearts of the nation’s political and corporate leaders with his must-read column Rear Window in The Australian Financial Review.

He interrogated some of the country’s biggest business stories including Rio Tinto’s Juukan Gorge scandal; CPA Australia and its Naked CEO Alex Malley; and the decline and fall of both Magellan Financial Group and Qantas. In 2023, Joe and his AFR colleagues won a Walkley Award for their coverage of the PwC tax leaks scandal.

AFR editor-in-chief Michael Stutchbury says Aston “turned a gossip column into a form of journalism like never before seen in Australia, and arguably the world.”

Joe resigned from the Financial Review in October last year. He lives in Sydney.

About Leigh Sales

Leigh Sales AM is one of Australia’s most respected journalists. As the new presenter of Australian Story and the recent host of the ABC’s flagship current affairs program, 7.30, she has interviewed dozens of world leaders and celebrities. Leigh is the winner of three Walkley Awards, Australia’s highest journalism honour; the author of the books Detainee 002, On Doubt, Well Hello, the bestselling Any Ordinary Day and Storytellers; and the co-host of the popular podcast Chat 10 Looks 3 with Annabel Crabb. In 2023, her service to journalism and the community was recognised with an honorary doctorate from Edith Cowan University.