Qantas chief feted for backing gay marriage in Australia

Canberra, Oct 26 (IANS) The chief of Australia's flag carrier Qantas has been named the world's most influential LGBT business executive in an annual listing for his vocal campaigning in favour of same-sex marriage in the country.

Networking group OUTstanding and the Financial Times compile the annual list recognising positive LGBT -- lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender -- role models in business.

"No one should feel like they need to live a double life... In the past year I've worked hard to drive changes in my own workplace and indeed my own country," Joyce told the BBC on Thursday.

As well as speaking up personally on the question of same-sex marriage, Joyce has encouraged other business leaders to join him in campaigning for a "yes" vote in the Australian ballot.

He said more than 1,300 firms have put their name to the cause.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has promised that if a majority of Australians support same-sex marriage in the poll, parliament will debate amending the Marriage Act, which could lead to the country becoming the 25th country to permit same-sex marriage.

The ballot will close on November 7.

"As an openly gay man and being the leader of this organisation and a high profile business leader in Australia, I felt it was very important that I led by example and was out there promoting the case," Joyce told the BBC.

Joyce was born in Ireland and took over as chief executive of Qantas in 2008.

The OUTstanding list, which has been running for five years, also names the chief executive of Campbell Soup, Denise Morrison, as the leading "Ally Executive" for her role in supporting members of the LGBT community in the workplace.

Stuart Barette, a senior project manager at HSBC, was named OUTstanding Future Leader and praised as a transgender role model.

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