When Vanessa Hudson takes the helm at Qantas after Alan Joyce steps down in November she will face two major challenges.
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The first is to put this year's record profit on a sustainable footing. As a result of the company's long history of losses under Mr Joyce's stewardship it has received more money from the ATO than it has paid in company tax over the last 15 years.
According to one report while the "flying kangaroo" has paid $2.65 billion in taxes since Mr Joyce took over, it has received tax credits worth $2.93 billion.
Then there is the $2.7 billion dollars of COVID-19 support taxpayers will be paying interest on for decades to come.
Why the then Coalition government did not demand a stake in the once publicly owned carrier in exchange for the golden lifeline remains a mystery.
Although Mr Joyce is adamant Qantas shouldn't repay any of its COVID-19 support because nobody else has had to, this ignores the fact Qantas received far more than any other company, including direct competitor Virgin.
Many companies which received JobKeeper it later turned out they did not need have, admittedly in some cases through gritted teeth, reimbursed the taxpayer.
There is no guarantee Ms Hudson will be able to achieve back-to-back profits given she has been the company's chief financial officer since 2019 and has worked in senior roles in the company for decades.
Profits are going to be even harder to come by in the immediate future due to the fact the fleet was already showing its age before COVID-19 hit. Qantas is about to spend up big on new planes for its regional, domestic and long haul fleets.
This investment, which will reportedly cost $15 billion over the next five years, is essential to the other big challenge Ms Hudson is up against. That is to rebuild what has become a very tired and uninspiring brand.
Once regarded as a jewel in the national crown, Qantas is now regularly derided as an airline that will lose your bags, cancel flights at the last notice apparently on a whim, and make it almost impossible to obtain refunds. All of this while charging premium prices.
The company Australians used to love has now become the company many love to hate.
This is reflected in the levels of outrage over the super profits, Mr Joyce's stunning remuneration, the refusal to pay back COVID-19 assistance, the casualisation of the workforce and even who gets membership of the Chairman's Lounge.
Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones's admission one reason Qatar Airlines wasn't granted extra flights was to keep Qantas profitable hasn't helped either.
All of this has happened on Mr Joyce's watch and much of it is the result of decisions he has made. These included grounding the entire fleet during an industrial dispute in 2011, the casualisation of the baggage handling workforce during the pandemic, and presiding over a steep decline in the quality of service.
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Qantas is no longer regarded as a premium brand. It has become, as Labor's senator Tony Sheldon told Mr Joyce during a fierce parliamentary committee hearing on Monday, "the most complained about" company in Australia.
Questions have also been asked about Mr Joyce's focus on corporate activism during the same sex marriage plebiscite and, more recently, the Voice.
Regardless of where people stand, there is a growing consensus companies should focus on their core function rather than trying to massage public opinion.
Only time will tell if Ms Hudson is able to avoid stepping on the landmines inadvertently left behind by Mr Joyce.
She has a big job ahead of her.
