O’Neill is set to start in the role on April 26, in time for this year's Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago, scheduled for August 4 to 11.

Australia is preparing to host what has been billed as the first regional Commonwealth Games in Victoria in 2026.

O’Neill succeeds Tim Mahon, who retired after Birmingham 2022, where Australia topped the medals table for the eighth time in the last nine editions of the Games and became the first country to surpass 1,000 gold medals.

He was most recently chief executive of Gymnastics Victoria, and has previously served as executive director of sports partnerships at the Australian Sports Commission and head of strategy and Government relations at Tennis Australia.

O’Neill underlined the importance of Victoria 2026 preparations in his first comments after taking the role.

"I’m thrilled to be joining the team at Commonwealth Games Australia and am honoured to lead planning and delivery for the green and gold as we look ahead to a home Games for Victoria 2026," he said.

"I look forward to building on established relationships and networks within the high-performance teams of our member sports and applying major event experiences to strengthen capabilities in team performance and delivery."

CGA chief executive Craig Phillips expressed his belief that O'Neill has the required experience to succeed in the role.

"The general manager [for] team performance and delivery is a vital part of our leadership team, and we are thrilled to welcome Robin’s experience as we prepare for Victoria 2026," Phillips said.

"This role focuses on the crucial area of delivering team success, and with the next Games on home soil, this will be a focal point for Robin and for the organisation.

"Robin has an exceptional skillset honed across an impressive professional career in sports administration and management, and we look forward to the impact he will make to our Commonwealth Games Australia community."