A PACKED Waverley Park theatrette – and those who tuned in via the internet – witnessed AFL history on Monday in a sport swiftly embracing females.

Tracey Gaudry spoke at length about being appointed Hawthorn's and the AFL's first female chief executive, handling with aplomb topics from affirmative action, Alastair Clarkson, and beating leukemia as a 20-year-old.

She is a confident and strong woman aware of her place in sporting history, but rightly does not want to be judged solely on her gender.

AFL chief executive Gill McLachlan, in a statement later on Monday, made a point of highlighting his excitement at the code welcoming its first female CEO at the elite level.

The job was Gaudry's last week and she withdrew her candidacy for the Australian Olympic Committee board in between that knowledge and being rolled out for the media and fans.

One woman, Rosie King, filled in for Geelong chief executive Brian Cook on occasion in recent years, without ever holding the role outright.

Gaudry, 47, is a lot of things: a dual Olympic cyclist, a cancer survivor, a married mother of three and, undoubtedly, a trailblazer.

She also became the International Cycling Union's (UCI) first female vice-president in 2013, after representing Australia in road cycling at the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Olympics.

"There is a first time for everything," Gaudry said.

"I am delighted to be, first and foremost, appointed as the CEO of Hawthorn Football Club, and what comes with that is I happen to be the first woman appointed as the CEO of a football club.

"It's in that order that we are celebrating today. I was the first woman appointed to the board of the UCI in 116 years and am still the only woman on that board – and that's a tragedy.

"What I would say, importantly, is Australia is a very, very progressive society, in all parts of society (and) in business and in sport.

"Inclusivity is now the norm and it's taken until today for a club within the AFL to appoint a female CEO. It possibly won't be too long before another one is appointed."

Gaudry evoked memories of Kelli Underwood's brief stint as an AFL commentator on Channel 10 when she spoke of the "responsibility" of breaking this kind of ground.

The two roles contrast greatly, but are equally important in a football world dominated by men for so long. Some will say too long.

The advent of the AFL Women's competition smashed more barriers this year.

Gaudry listed having a Hawthorn AFLW team among her priorities and will attend the club's first VFL Women's match on Saturday.

"What I understand and know about these types of milestones is there comes a lot of responsibility of being first," she said.

Gaudry credits the adversity she faced, after a leukaemia diagnosis, for the person she is; even if she suggested on Monday it "doesn't get tougher" than facing questions from eight Hawthorn directors.

"The age of 20 is supposed to be a pretty fun time in life, where there are not too many worries in the world, so I certainly grew up pretty quickly," Gaudry said.

"Over a two-year period that honestly felt like a jail sentence, because you had nowhere to go, except to get to the other side.

"That taught me, or cemented, that I'm a pretty resilient sort of character…

"So coming out of that is when my elite sporting career really took off, because as a young person, given a new lease on life, who knows when the next tragedy might come your way?"

Gaudry had coach Clarkson at her "kitchen table" on Sunday night – wouldn't you have loved to be a fly on the wall? – and was glowing about their 90-minute interaction.

She also left no doubt that Clarkson answers to her, but the four-time premiership coach will continue to be the Hawks' football mouthpiece.

Gaudry told reporters not to expect to hear from her too often, such is the enormity of her role, and how busy she will be, at a club that boasts the most members (72,091 at last count) in the AFL.

But her first public move was sharp and the next chapter will be fascinating, with Hawthorn president Richard Garvey saying the club had to "innovate" and "refresh" to remain at the top.