St George Illawarra have today advised that Chief Executive Officer Brian Johnston will depart the Dragons in early 2020.

Johnston will step away from his second tenure as chief executive of St George Illawarra at the end of March.

Johnston informed Chairman Andrew Gordon and the board of his decision to depart the Dragons last month.

"The past 12 months as CEO of St George Illawarra has been a challenging yet enjoyable experience," Johnston said.

"I have made this decision to focus on my family and the farm back home in Dunedoo.

"I look forward to the next four months overseeing an exciting pre-season following the completion of the club's extremely important football department review."

Chairman Gordon paid tribute to Johnston for his contribution at the helm of the Dragons.

"Brian has overseen and played a vital role in what has been a significant period of change for the St George Illawarra club," Gordon said.

"Brian has faced numerous challenges both on and off the field in his time back in charge of the Dragons, and all the while navigated a new ownership model, as well as the handover from his long-term predecessor, competently.

"While his second tenure as chief executive officer was brief, Brian's successor will be better placed because of his contribution to the club; he will always be a part of the Dragons family."

St George Illawarra's board of directors will meet later this month to finalise the recruitment process of determining the club's new chief executive officer.