Rugby Australia have announced that Raelene Castle will officially begin as its new CEO in January, taking over from the outgoing Bill Pulver.
Castle beat 200 applicants to win the appointment and revealed that her first priority would be to "take a breath" before getting to work.
She is the former Canterbury Bulldogs CEO and rugby's first female CEO and is looking forward to the challenge of taking up the role.
"It's been a very big year, it's been a challenging year and this is about some stability moving forward. It is about building strong relationships with the states and the franchises and making sure we recognise that rugby is an important game right across the country, and getting out and about and meeting some of the rugby people and rugby community," she said on Tuesday.
She added on being rugby's first female CEO: "It’s a consideration and it’s interesting the media have an enormous fascination with it.
"The reality is sport has gender equity in it. There's people from both really delivering, particularly at grassroots level, so I don't think it's an enormous step to have a female chief executive. I'm excited about the opportunity.
"My experience in rugby league was very strong, I don't expect my experience in rugby union to be any different."
On her role moving forward, Castle admitted she can't wait to get started.
"I have used that word daunting, but I would prefer to use exciting because it genuinely is an exciting sport that has an international landscape that no other sport in this country has," she said.
"The combination of it, being nationwide and being an international pathway, is a genuine strength and we need to make sure we maximise that opportunity."
"Having always watched everything across rugby, no matter where it was happening here, and having an understanding of that has been really helpful," she continued.
"That experience both with the Bulldogs and this landscape and also working with a coach like Des Hasler, who's a strong personality, will help me when I have to forge a very strong relationship with Michael (Cheika)."
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