The International Rugby Board chief executive Mike Miller is to step down after 10 years in which he oversaw three World Cup tournaments and the re-inclusion of rugby into the Olympic Games.
Miller, who was also managing director of Rugby World Cup Limited, will step down from both roles at the end of the month.
The statement did not say who would replace him.
The decision comes one month after Frenchman Bernard Lapasset was re-elected as board chairman.
