Who will be the next AFL chief executive? The leading candidates after Gillon McLachlan's resignation

In all the vagaries of Gillon McLachlan's answer to the question of who he thought should replace him as the next boss of the AFL, two things were very clear.

The first was that the new chief would be «completely different» to the 49-year-old.

And the second was that it was open to «man or woman».

While, on the surface, that appears to be a no-brainer, McLachlan seemed at pains to ensure the surrounding media heard him very clearly, at least twice uttering that same line — «man or woman».

«What I do feel absolutely certain about, that whoever replaces me will be completely different,» he said.

«They will have to bring their own style and be their own person, man or woman.»

From the VFL's creation in 1897 to the current-day AFL, 13 men have sat in the big chair of the league, but no woman has been offered the opportunity.

Even at club level, only Peggy O'Neal (Richmond), Kate Roffey (Melbourne), and Kylie Watson-Wheeler (Western Bulldogs) have sat at the head of the table as club president.

As the AFLW goes from strength to strength, is the gender power imbalance set to change? Who are the leading candidates to take over as the next AFL CEO?

Watson-Wheeler has only been the Western Bulldogs president since 2021, but has the runs on the board — kind of literally — after serving on the Doggies board for seven years.

Bringing with her a strong marketing background, Watson-Wheeler has big company experience behind her, starting with Penguin Books in 1994, moving to Coca-Cola in 1995, then Hallmark in 1998.

Since 2004, she's worked her way up the ladder of the wonderful world of Disney, serving as the senior vice-president and managing director of Disney's Australia and New Zealand branch.

«After years of offering pro bono marketing