Belinda Moore has been named as the Welsh Rugby Union’s new Head of Women’s rugby.

Moore is a former senior BBC producer, while she also worked as Head of Athlete Engagement for Team GB at the London 2012 Olympics and was CEO of Premiership Women's Rugby up until November.

The wife of former England hooker Brian Moore, she has also held top roles on golf's DP World Tour and at two high profile sports agencies.

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Her appointment comes after the WRU completed its strategic review into its senior women's game, with the creation of the new role one of its key recommendations. That review itself came after the union was embroiled in a scandal over the treatment of its female players in its handling of now-completed contract negotiations.

In October, an investigation by the Telegraph reported that Wales Women players were threatened with disciplinary action and being pulled out of tournaments if they did not agree deals during the re-negotiating process. Head coach Ioan Cunningham departed his role shortly after the allegations emerged, while executive director of rugby Nigel Walker left shortly before Christmas having allegedly told players they had just three hours to agree to deals during negotiations.

Among the findings of the review into the women's game, which were revealed on Christmas Eve, was the recommendation to create a new women’s game lead to be responsible for all aspects of the game. At the time, the WRU added that "the high profile role will directly manage the Wales women head coach as well as set and implement strategy for the women's and girls' game across Wales and form an integral part of the WRU's high-performance team."

Moore’s appointment has been made on an interim basis for an initial nine-month period and she has already been tasked with helping to recruit her own successor for the new permanent role. Amongst her key responsibilities are the WRU’s systems, structures and pathway into the professional game, as well as preparations for this summer's Women's Rugby World Cup, player contracting and cultural work with the senior national squad.

She will also work closely with Cunningham's replacement as the new senior women’s head coach, with the WRU confirming that that appointment will be finalised "in the coming days". Moore will report in to the WRU’s new Director of Rugby, a role currently being recruited for and filled meanwhile on an interim basis by Performance Director Huw Bevan.

“This is a hugely exciting time to be joining Welsh rugby and for the women and girls’ game in particular,” said Moore as her appointment was confirmed. "The senior game in Wales has been professional for just three short years and is progressing and advancing at an exponential rate.

“These swift advancements of course come with their own teething problems and my eyes are wide open in terms of the challenge ahead, but I am hugely optimistic about what can be achieved.

“In a World Cup year, with a new head coach appointment imminent and a governance structure and senior personnel who are enabling and encouraging, these are exciting times for the women and girls’ game in Wales."

She added: “The rate of growth of the game is there for all to see, with a Six Nations clash with England at Principality Stadium later this year which is set to break new records for attendance at a home international which is a hugely symbolic sign of that growth. Our task and challenge is to harness this growth and maximise the potential of the women and girls’ game across the country.”

WRU CEO Abi Tierney added: “Appointing a Head of Women’s Rugby has been a key priority for us and we are delighted to have secured the services of someone of the calibre, gravitas and directly relevant senior experience of Belinda Moore.

“This role will be the cornerstone of all the progress we make in the women and girls’ game in Wales over the next five years as we implement our ‘One Wales’ strategy through to 2029. We all know that women and girls’ rugby is a huge area of growth for us both in commercial and participation terms and it is vitally important to the whole game in Wales that we harness this growth effectively.

“Belinda is exactly the right person for this job at this time, we are delighted to welcome her to Welsh rugby but also hugely excited about what the future may bring as we can now also put every effort into recruiting this role on a permanent basis.”