Damien Fitzpatrick has been elected as RUPA's ninth president, taking the reins from the newly retired Dean Mumm.
The Waratahs hooker succeeds Mumm having made his Super Rugby debut in 2009 and notching 31 Super Rugby caps since.
The 28-year-old's career has been a tumultuous one, having been a schoolboy star at St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill before three serious knee injuries quelled his ability to stay on field.
He rejoined the Waratahs in 2016 after a three year stint in France playing for Lyon in both the Top 14 and European Challenge Cup.
Off field, Fitzpatrick is in the final stages of a Master of Business Administration degree at Macquarie University, having completed a Bachelor of Commerce at Macquarie University in 2015.
"I am delighted to be working on behalf of all professional players across the country and with the rugby bodies in this new role, and I’m thrilled to be elected RUPA President,” Fitzpatrick said.
"In the context of a really challenging last year for Australian rugby, it was vital for the players that we were able to show our commitment to helping the future of the game and getting personally involved in CBA negotiations.
"With a team being axed from the competition and all the challenges players were facing, I felt I had an obligation to support RUPA and in those negotiations to try and get the outcomes which players collectively were seeking."
Australian Sevens skipper Lewis Holland has also joined the RUPA board for the first time, replacing the recently retired Ed Jenkins.
Mumm's work with RUPA isn't expected to end, either, with Stephen Moore resigning from his position as co-opted director.
Tom English, Bernard Foley and James Slipper have all been re-elected by their respective squads after reaching the end of their two-year terms, with Shannon Parry and Scott Sio entering their second year as RUPA Player Directors.
