Sydney-based Jack Mesley has been appointed the first chief executive of Super Rugby Pacific.
Mesley works in football at present, where he is chief commercial officer at Australian Professional A-Leagues, and was formerly at the NRL’s Bulldogs and beverage company Lion.
Super Rugby has previously been handled by the national rugby unions under the Sanzaar umbrella, but now has its own board and chief executive, whose major task will be to drive fan engagement.
"This is a monumental step for the unions and clubs to come together with a real intent to grow Super Rugby Pacific and put fans at the centre," Mesley said.
"I am looking forward to working with closely with the Super Rugby Pacific clubs to understand their commonalities and differences, and to come together to ignite the flame for generations to come."