NRL appoints business high-flyer Suzanne Young as the sport's No 2

The NRL has appointed high-flying businesswoman Suzanne Young as it new second-in command.

The former Qantas, Leighton Holdings and Commonwealth Bank executive replaces the highly regarded Jim Doyle as the organisation’s new chief operating officer after he returned to New Zealand as boss of the Warriors.

Young, a former Surf Life Saver of the year who is also a mother to teenage boys, was unveiled as the new No 2 to Dave Smith on Monday.

Asked at a media conference in Sydney if her appointment was part of an attempt to end the apparently “blokey” culture of the NRL, Young said male-dominated work environments were hardly new territory.

“I’ve worked in some very blokey industries (such as) Qantas, Leightons,” she told reporters in Sydney. “I don’t think that (environment) will be a detriment at all.”

Young, who grew up on a farm in Ungarie in NSW, said her appointment was simply the newest addition to the female participants within the sport.

“There are lots of women who are managers of teams, who are coaches of teams; volunteers who do canteen duty,” she explained.

“I’m not the first woman to be involved in the league and I hope to make a significant contribution just as they have done.”

But forced to address the recent controversy over suspended South Sydney player Kirisome Auva’a, and her stance on violence against women, Young said: “I certainly don’t condone it.”

In her first public outing as Doyle’s successor, she was also forced to defend the emphasis on her status as a mother – rather than the specifics of her professional achievements – detailed in the NRL statement announcing her appointment.

“It’s on my LinkedIn profile. It’s not that hard to find,” she said.

Those facts were later included on an expanded media release, issued after a “production error” curtailed the first.

A fan of the game, Young hasn’t had any experience in rugby league administration, but was one of Surf Life Saving Australia’s first independent directors in 2010.

“Sport is part of my DNA,” she said.