Qantas puts Adelaide at the centre of its digital innovation

Qantas has officially opened its new Product Innovation Centre in the Adelaide CBD, creating new opportunities for the city’s technology workforce and strengthening Adelaide’s role in the development of digital and AI capability.

The purpose-built centre will bring together product managers, digital experience designers, software engineers and data and AI specialists to develop digital products and experiences for millions of Qantas customers.

The first 50 employees have already started working from the new Adelaide offices, with recruitment underway for a further 40 roles. Over the next three years, the Adelaide operation is expected to grow to more than 400 digital and technology roles, supported by the South Australian Government.

As Qantas’ first Product Innovation Centre outside Sydney, the investment represents more than new jobs. It creates opportunities to build local technology capability, develop new career pathways and strengthen connections between industry, talent and education.

Growing technology capability in Adelaide

The new centre will become home to Qantas’ technology product development teams, bringing together the people and expertise behind the airline’s evolving digital customer experience. A pilot team began working in Adelaide in March this year and is already developing real-time customer feedback tools and new digital experiences. The team is using AI developed in-house with Qantas data to test ideas, prototype solutions and respond to customer needs more quickly.

Qantas Group Chief Technology, AI and Transformation Officer Rachel Yangoyan said Adelaide’s universities and technology community were important factors in the airline’s decision to grow its long-term technology capability in the city.

“Adelaide gives us access to world-class universities, a thriving tech community, and the ability to scale our in-house capability. It’s an investment in Australian innovation that will deliver real benefits for our customers into the future.”

The investment also creates opportunities for local universities, industry and businesses to help develop the skills needed for a growing digital economy, while giving graduates and technology professionals opportunities to build their careers in Adelaide.

Serious innovation in practice

The Qantas Product Innovation Centre provides a real-world example of the proposition behind AEDA’s Adelaide: The City for Serious Innovation campaign.

The investment brings together several of the capabilities that underpin Adelaide’s innovation ecosystem – skilled technology talent, connections with universities and industry, and opportunities to develop and scale sophisticated digital and AI capability.

With the centre expected to grow to more than 400 roles, the investment will create direct employment opportunities, while also contributing to the city’s broader technology capability and talent pipeline.

Building technology capability in the city can strengthen connections between businesses, universities and skilled workers while creating more opportunities for people to begin and develop their careers in Adelaide.

As Qantas invests in the technology that will shape the future of its customer experience, Adelaide is becoming part of how that future is developed and delivered.

Discover why Adelaide is the city for serious innovation 

AEDA | Adelaide: The City for Serious Innovation

Sources

QANTAS’ NEW PRODUCT INNOVATION CENTRE OPENS IN ADELAIDE, CREATING NEW JOBS AND CAREER PATHWAYS