The 39-year-old will succeed Matthias Kamber, who will retire next spring, at the Bern-based body.

He has held executive positions in Switzerland and abroad for 15 years, currently working for a global service company in Edinburgh.

König studied agricultural economics and computer science and obtained a Master of Business Administration in strategy and business management from the University of Edinburgh Business School.

Currently he is programme manager for Citi Realty Services in Edinburgh where he leads the global property management scheme.

"Contributing to clean sports is a huge motivation for me," said König.

"I also have a nine month old son.

"I hope he will emulate an idol from the sport world, and he does not want this idol to turn out to be a false hero.

"I want to help minimise the danger."

He will take up his new position on March 1, when the handover from Kamber to König will take place.

“Ernst König convinced us in the application process with his proven leadership and social skills," added Corinne Schmidhauser, the President of the Foundation Board.