Steve Brown appointed CEO of England's Rugby Football Union

Brown joined RFU as chief financial officer in 2011 and was promoted to chief officer for business operations after serving as managing director of England Rugby 2015, the organising committee responsible for hosting the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

"This is the job of a lifetime for me," Brown said on the RFU website. (www.englandrugby.com)

"I'm thrilled to be given this opportunity to lead a sport I love, in an organisation I have been proud to work for over the last six years, and I look forward to leading the team as we work to grow the game at every level."

Brown will start his new role as CEO on Monday.

(Reporting by Aditi Prakash in Bengaluru, editing by Larry King)