Deborah Thomas is a former editor of the Australian Women’s Weekly and has been CEO of Ardent since late 2013.
Ardent Leisure CEO Deborah Thomas says she will give her yearly cash bonus of $167,500 to the Red Cross, following the Dreamworld accident that killed four people on Tuesday.
But the pledge comes after Ardent went into damage control, following a terrible performance at the company’s Annual General Meeting on Thursday. Thomas didn’t announce she’d be donating the bonus until after the meeting – when questions over whether or not she should receive it had become a national conversation.
Ardent, the parent company of Dreamworld, was legally obliged to continue with the AGM, despite the tragic accident that killed four adults including Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett, Roozbeh Araghi, and Cindy Low.
During questioning from journalists, it was revealed Ardent has not yet been in direct contact with the families of the victims, and Thomas refused to answer questions regarding her bonus. “I’m not getting paid millions of dollars,” she told a journalist when asked how she could accept “nearly $1 million” in bonuses following the accident. Thomas said it was not appropriate to discuss transactions so close to the event.
Thomas issued a statement announcing the donation following the meeting. “I will be making a personal donation of $167,500, which comprises my entire cash bonus, to the Australian Red Cross via the Dreamworld memorial day event. Red Cross will ensure 100 per cent is directed to support people affected by this tragic event.” The statement hit the inboxes of business journalists at 6:13pm, well after the story had appeared at the front of the country’s major television news bulletins. Journalist Neil Chenoweth writes in the ARF today that it was “way too late”.
Dreamworld and Ardent also came under fire after it was revealed a plan to re-open the park for a memorial service on Friday had not been cleared by police – who are still treating the park as a crime scene.
Thomas was appointed CEO of Ardent in late 2013, following a long career in publishing including ten years as editor of the Australian Women’s Weekly. She’s edited and overseen major brands throughout her career including CLEO, ELLE and MODE (now Harper’s BAZAAR), before later moving into corporate positions with ACP Magazines.
