Vale, whose start date is yet to be confirmed, had been with the Kangaroos since 2008 - joining as chief financial officer, before becoming chief operating officer in March 2010 and serving as interim chief executive from June 2012 until February 2013 - and has a strong background in high performance sport and commercial growth.

He was appointed by Hockey Australia following, what it calls, an "extensive and highly contested" recruitment process.

"We are thrilled to have attracted someone of the calibre of Cam Vale to the position," Hockey Australia President Stuart Grimshaw said.

"Cam is highly regarded in sports administration and the depth of his experience across a range of areas, including strategy, finance and commercial revenue will be a real asset to the organisation.

"Hockey Australia has made outstanding progress in recent years and as we continue to strive for gold medals on and off the pitch, Cam's passion for the role and his ambition for the organisation will undoubtedly feature heavily as we look to raise the bar right across the sport in Australia."

Vale, who has also worked as chief financial officer at Melbourne Storm Rugby League Club and finance manager at St Kilda Football Club, joins Hockey Australia at an exciting time for the sport in the nation.

At international level, the men - winners of the bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympics - and women's squads are set to embark on their respective World Cup qualification campaigns at the Hockey World League in Europe this month, while at the grassroots, almost 10,000 five-12 year olds picked up a stick for the first time last year through the Hookin2Hockey programme.

"I am excited about the amazing opportunity to become chief executive of Hockey Australia," he said.

"To lead an organisation as successful as Hockey Australia and build on its success is a huge honour."

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