Jevans (pictured above), who has drawn widespread praise in her role delivering the 26 Olympic and 20 Paralympic sports at London 2012, is set to take up the role in October following the conclusion of the Games.

The announcement of Jevans as the new chief executive came less than an hour after England Rugby revealed that Paul Vaughan had stepped down from the post "by mutual consent" following 11 years at the Rugby Football Union (RFU).

In a statement, England 2015 chairman Andy Cosslett made it clear that Vaughan had taken the organisation as far as he could, adding that, "now is a good time to add a fresh injection of experience to take us up to the next level".

The move comes after Jevans spent almost 10 years at London 2012, as part of both the successful bid team and the Organising Committee.

She admitted she is excited by the new challenge.

Paul Vaughan, the former chief executive of England Rugby 2015 has left his post "by mutual consent"

"I have spent the last decade planning and delivering the world's two largest sporting events," Jevans said.

"This has been an extraordinary journey and I am looking forward to putting my experience and expertise in to delivering an exceptional Rugby World Cup in 2015.

"As a passionate sports fan the next decade is a great one for the UK and we have an amazing opportunity to bring rugby and the values of sport to more fans across the country than ever before.

"I look forward to starting my new role next month and in the meantime my focus is on continuing to deliver a great Paralympic Games."

Jevans was an elite tennis player and competed for Britain at the four grand slams before she retired and became a consultant to the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

Debbie Jevans, right, in Singapore as part of the London 2012 bid team ahead of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) members vote on the host city for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games

She was later employed by the ITF to oversee the return of tennis as an Olympic sport before she became the organisation's general secretary, where she set up the worldwide anti-doping programme and headed the delivery of the 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympic tennis events.

There is no doubt that her appointment was influenced by RFU chief executive and England 2015 board member Ian Ritchie, who previously served as the chief executive of Wimbledon for seven years where he worked closely with Jevans.

"Debbie is acknowledged as one of the architects of the London 2012 Olympics, which has clearly been a massive success," Ritchie said.

"Her proven track record in delivering multiple events at multiple venues, driving innovation and enhancing the fan experience, along with exceptional relationships with key stakeholders, makes her the perfect fit."

The 2015 World Cup is due to be held between September 18 and 31.

Twickenham Stadium will host the final while the London 2012 Olympic Stadium is also under consideration to stage matches.

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