Qantas chief Alan Joyce shoved with meringue pie in face

Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce got a pie shoved in his face while speaking in Perth on Tuesday. The airline boss was addressing the audience at the West Business Leadership Matters event at the Hyatt Regency when a man casually walked onto the stage and shoved the pie in Joyce’s face.

In the Twitter video posted by 7 News, Joyce is seen speaking to the 500-people audience on stage when a man in business suit walks up to him, holds his face and shoves the meringue pie in his face. The man then casually walks off the stage as Joyce dusts off the icing off him.

Joyce continues with his speech, even joking with the audience about the incident. “Now if there are any more pies, can you get it over with now?” he says.

He left the room to clean up, returning without his jacket a short while later. He received a round of applause from the audience, who were stunned by the assault they witnessed earlier.

The ABC reports that the man, believed to be in his 60s, was detained by security staff until he was arrested by the police. A police spokesperson said that they responded to an assault and it’s likely the man would be charged, although it’s still unclear what charges would that be.

According to Ben Harvey, The West Australian business editor, the man seemed to be making a political statement, although on what that could be is still unclear. “He (Joyce) dealt with it very, very well. For a man that’s cool under pressure, he proved that very much today,” he told “Mornings” program. Harvey said the pie appeared to be a lemon meringue.

Joyce later appeared at Perth airport for a scheduled media call, where he revealed the details of a new Qantas lounge for non-stop London flights passengers.