Qantas boss Alan Joyce cops cream pie to face

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce had a cream pie smashed into his face at a business breakfast. Photo / @7NewsAdelaide

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has copped a cream pie in his face in front of 500 people at a business breakfast in Perth.

Joyce had just started speaking at the packed event at Perth's exclusive Hyatt Regency hotel when he was approached by an elderly man wearing a suit who rubbed the pie in his face.

Qantas boss Alan Joyce copped a cream pie in the face during a talk at a leadership breakfast in Perth. Report in 7 News at 6pm. pic.twitter.com/P6zsOTOW9X

— 7NEWS Adelaide (@7NewsAdelaide) May 9, 2017

The culprit was pounced on by security, taken away and arrested.

Joyce, whose face, suit jacket, shirt and tie were covered in cream, also left the room to clean himself up.

He received a round of applause when he returned without his jacket and joked about that incident before resuming his speech spruiking the national carrier's recently announced direct flights to London.

There were gasps among the crowd when the incident occurred shortly after 8am at the Leadership Matters breakfast hosted by The West Australian newspaper.

A man is detained by security after throwing a pie at Qantas CEO Alan Joyce during a speech at a business breakfast at the Hyatt Regency Perth. Photo / AAP

Guests were supposed to grab name tags on the way to the sold out event, but security is not usually strict at such functions.

Police confirmed they were called to the hotel over an assault and had a man in custody.

It is not yet clear whether the man will be charged.

Social media speculated the pie was lemon meringue.