Qantas’ chairwoman MargaretJackson, who has just managedits take-over by a group of domesticand overseas investors, has revealedin the Financial Times that she was interrogatedby officials at Los Angelesairport last year, because they founddetailed aeronautical diagrams in herhand baggage.

She explained that she was chairmanof a major world airline, which met withthe response ‘But you’re a woman!’

Jackson also related to the FT that asa board member for a mining companyshe was once interviewing potentialdirectors from Africa.

One candidate walked into the room,handed her some papers and asked herto photocopy them. Whether he gotthe job is not recorded.

– Peter Conway