In the last five years, Wood has played a key role in the continued unification of the engage Super League and the British Amateur Rugby League Association. He has also led the RFL's financial recovery, which has resulted in consecutive years of profitable trading, the league said in a statement.
“The governing body is in a far healthier state than it was a few years ago and my aim is to build on the recent success and continue the organisation's reputation for strong governance and innovation,” said Wood. “We are now one of the 'Big Five' sports in the UK and have an excellent sponsorship portfolio featuring some leading brands. On the horizon we have some big challenges ahead of us, ones that I am very excited about facing."
Wood played a key role in determining the strategic direction for Super League Europe and the National League and was behind this year's Millennium Magic event, which saw 60,000 fans converge on Cardiff's Millennium Stadium for a round of engage Super League fixtures played over one weekend.
Wood's appointment as CEO will allow RFL executive chairman Richard Lewis to dedicate more of his time to developing the game nationally and internationally and maximising key external stakeholder relationships, the league said.
