The development comes amid broader concerted efforts by the Magpies to develop, retain and promote women already working in football, and attract more females – whether fans or future employees – generally.

When the AFL launches a women's league next year, Collingwood are among the clubs that want a team in the competition that promises to transform the code. More immediately, the arrival of a fresh face in the Pies' hierarchy will see Doctor Jack Kennedy named official club patron and draw the line at his 22 years' board service.

Holgate, voted CEO of 2015 by the CEO Institute and CEO Magazine, has spoken to Fairfax Media about the clear opportunity she sees for Collingwood to lift its membership through pioneering international initiatives.

Tabling British soccer powerhouses Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United as examples of clubs that boast even greater membership numbers abroad than they do at home, Holgate said a similar opportunity beckoned for the Pies.

Asked for her thoughts on joining a historically thin rank of females appointed to have genuine influence among AFL decision-makers, Holgate said she would relish the opportunity. The former non-executive director for Ten Network Holdings Limited, who has worked internationally in telecommunications, internet businesses and investment banking, underlined that the picture on the gender-hierarchy score is "considerably" brighter for women at AFL clubs than it is in the upper echelons of Australian business.

"My skill set and my background is quite different from the other board members," Holgate said.

"I hope that my experience in supporting Australian brands create new areas for growth both domestically and internationally, and building new revenue streams, can help the club," Holgate said.

"I think the club has a huge opportunity to grow a fan base overseas and connect with Australians when they're living overseas and create a point of connectivity back to home. I hope I can help with that."

Holgate's first contact with Collingwood came 13 years ago, just months after she relocated to Australia and was working for Telstra. A chance invitation to the football came from a business meeting where Eddie McGuire was among the attendees.

"I just loved it," Holgate recalled of the night she was accompanied by the Magpies' president and Kennedy, the man she is now replacing on the club's board, and profoundly impressed by their passion.

"Collingwood gave me a sense of belonging in Australia when actually I was probably feeling quite disjointed."

Blackmores is booming on Holgate's watch. Last year it reported its market capitalisation had grown from $520 million to $1.5 billion.

The company is among Collingwood's sponsors; a fact upon which Holgate commented: "Because I'm openly conflicted, I never get involved in the sponsorship decisions [of Blackmores] … that's now led by Dave Fenlon, who is the managing director of my Australian business."

In an 18-club competition, Collingwood are moulding themselves to be a modern leader when it comes to embracing women at every level of the game.

Magpies CEO Gary Pert was selected to join the foundation elite sport Male Champions of Change group established last year that was convened by former federal Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick.

Since then, workshops have been run at Collingwood to encourage staff – male and female – to share unfiltered views about how women are held back and what could change for the better.

Ten female Collingwood employees have been hand-picked this year for a new leadership program the club is piloting. The program is being run by coaching business Life NRG where Pert's wife, Andi, who has worked with global giants including IBM, KPMG and ANZ, is director and a lead facilitator.

In 2016 Collingwood employs 33 women full-time and has a gender split of precisely 50-50 in administrative positions.

Winter Olympic and world champion aerial skier Alisa Camplin has been the lone female Collingwood board member since she joined in December 2009. Camplin replaced distinguished business woman and former Committee for Melbourne CEO, Sally Capp, whose appointment at Collingwood made history in 2004 before a posting as Victoria's agent-general in London took her abroad.