For Qantas boss Alan Joyce, it is easy to see why same-sex marriage should be introduced in his adopted home of Australia.
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"It's really about equality," says the Irish-born businessman.
"One of the reasons why I love [Australia] is it's about a fair go."
For Mr Joyce, who is the openly gay chief executive of Australia's national carrier, same-sex marriage is not just a social or business issue, it is a personal one, too.
"As I've gone and talked about my sexuality, and talked about diversity in general, I've had people coming up to me in the business community and saying that their son, their daughter is finding it tough [being gay], even in this day and age," he said.
"And talking about how important it is for a business leader ... to express our views on things. It is a role model thing."
Mr Joyce said same-sex marriage would be an important symbol to young people that "they're not in some way second-class citizens". He soberly noted that the gay community has a higher risk of suicide than the general community.
Mr Joyce, who is a dual Irish-Australian citizen, is watching developments in Ireland with close interest. The conservative Catholic country is tracking to support same-sex marriage in a referendum later this month.
He noted that the "sad thing" about a successful referendum would be that he and his partner of 15 years, Shane Lloyd (who has New Zealand, British and Australian passports), would be able to marry in a variety of countries, except the one where they both hold passports.
On Tuesday morning, Mr Joyce will address a breakfast meeting organised by Australian Marriage Equality about the importance of same-sex marriage to corporate Australia.
The CEOs of SBS, Carnival Cruises, City of Sydney, St Vincent's Hospital, Virgin Mobile, St George and ASTRA are due to attend, as well as representatives from organisations such as Google, Boston Consulting Group, NAB, American Express, Deloitte, Macquarie Bank and Westpac.
Mr Joyce said he is an advocate of diversity generally in business, whether it be to include more Indigenous Australians, women or gay people.
"If you encourage more of the workforce to participate in your organisation, you're selecting from a bigger pool of talent," he explained. "You're competitive against the rest of the globe."
Noting that the Qantas workforce includes a significant number of gay people and that more than 70 per cent of Australians support same-sex marriage, according to recent polling, Mr Joyce said it was important for the airline to advocate for reform.
He dismissed suggestions that supporting a controversial cause could be risky for the company.
"I think the fact that we think it is a matter of equality and a fair go, and Qantas stands for that as an Australian brand ... can only enhance our brand," he said.
"We have to stand up for the Australian community."
