Niels de Vos, the chief executive of Sale Sharks rugby union club, is set to be unveiled as the new chief executive of UK Athletics on Tuesday.
De Vos is expected to be named as the successor to David Moorcroft, who steps down after nine years in the job.
The appointment comes three weeks after UK Athletics appointed its first chairman, Ed Warner.
Like Warner, de Vos has a business rather than an athletics background but he has enjoyed great success at Sale.
The Sharks are the reigning Premiership champions and de Vos helped mastermind the club’s move from Heywood Road to the larger Edgeley Park in 2003.
He was also the commercial director of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester and made a name for himself by negotiating some lucrative sponsorship deals.
Moorcroft confirmed his retirement last September and will leave UK Athletics on 2 February.
Warner, who has been asked to use his experience as a City businessman to drive the sport forward, has played a major role in the selection of de Vos.
At the weekend he declined to name Moorcroft’s replacement but suggested it would be good news for the sport.
An ability to work alongside Warner on the day-to-day running of UK Athletics was deemed one of the key factors in selecting the new man.