NRL appoints new chief operating officer The NRL have finally found Dave Smith's new right-hand man - and it's a woman. Suzanne Young has been appointed the organisation's new chief operating officer. She succeeds the highly-regarded Jim Doyle, who left the second-in-charge position in June to return to New Zealand as boss of the Warriors. More than five months of searching later, Ms Young was announced as his replacement on Monday. She has more than 20 years experience in construction, aviation, financial services and information technology sectors. Born in country NSW, she was also Australian Surf Life Saver of the Year in 1996 and was one of Surf Life Saving Australia's first independent directors in 2010. "Suzanne has exceptional management and leadership skills and experience gained from operating at a senior level in global companies," said NRL CEO Smith. She has been responsible for driving the development of strategy, running the operations and delivering change management programs across diverse industries. Combined with her life-long commitment to sport and her experience in sports as a volunteer and administrator, Suzanne is a great fit for the complexity of the Chief Operating Officer's role in Rugby League. Young said she was looking forward to the role, which combined her skills and passion. "I have been successful in business because of the skills that I have learned in sport such as discipline, courage, team work, inspiring leadership and good communication," Young said. Through my own experiences and those of my children, I have seen first-hand the power of sport in developing healthy minds and bodies and in influencing and building strong communities. And, as a mum of teenage boys, I also know how important sport is in building young people's respect, self-confidence and resilience.