Richard Leigh Clifford AC (born 1948) is an Australian businessman and corporate executive who served as Chairman of Qantas from 2007 to 2018.
[2][3] Clifford was appointed Chairman at the company's November 2007 Annual General Meeting, succeeding Margaret Jackson.
[4] His career with the Rio Tinto Group, starting as a mining engineer and retiring as chief executive,[5] spanned 37 years and included time both in Australia and overseas.
He succeeded Peter Costello as the number-one ticketholder for the Essendon Football Club in March 2008.
[10] In June 2022, in the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours, Clifford was promoted to Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for "eminent service to business in the aviation, arts and education sectors, to the community through charitable support and scholarships, and for philanthropic contributions".