Former National Farmers Federation chief Wendy Craik will head the Climate Change Authority, taking over from Bernie Fraser.
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Kate Carnell and former Howard government minister John Sharp are also among five new faces on the authority's board.
Mr Fraser resigned in September after two years of tense relations between the independent advisory body and the Abbott government, which wanted it scrapped.
Also joining the authority are Frontier Economics head Danny Price and BidEnergy chief Stuart Allison, who will act as chair until Dr Craik takes over - expected to be "shortly".
Dr Craik previously headed the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Murray-Darling Basin Commission, and was the first woman to lead the NFF.
The federation recognises climate change as "potentially the biggest issue facing Australian farmers in the future".
The authority recommended higher post-2020 carbon emissions reduction targets than those adopted by the federal government.
The body was saved in a deal with Palmer United Party leader Clive Palmer in exchange for his party's support in the Senate for the government's direct action climate policy.
Mr Fraser was critical of direct action, last year saying the authority considered it unlikely it would deliver even the minimum goal - to cut pollution by five per cent by 2020.
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