Brisbane Lions CEO Greg Swann has taken up a position in the AFL house, with the league confirming he will join the executive leadership team under Andrew Dillon.

Last week, Dillon announced that his team would be restructured, effectively splitting Laura Kane's role into two.

Kane will be responsible for Football Operations, which will help deliver AFL, AFLW, VFL and VFLW, and the Coates Talent League competition matches, as well as the league's mental health response and ongoing concussion management.

The new position, which Swann will assume from July 21, will oversee MRO, Umpiring, Game Analysis, Player Movement, Laws of the Game, Innovation and club engagement within football.

Geoff Walsh will be the interim lead of the Football Performance department, working closely with Kane.

The Lions chief will finish up with the reigning premiers on July 18 after over a decade in Queensland, first joining the club in 2014 after successful stints as CEO at Collingwood and Carlton earlier in the century.

Brisbane Chief Operating Officer (COO) Sam Graham will take over.

"When I started, there were some challenging times, but the Lions are now a club fans want to support, and importantly, we're a club players want to play for," Swann said.

"Claiming the two AFLW flags (2021, 2023) and the 2024 AFL Premiership are the highlights, but across the board, the club is now in a really strong position on and off the field.

"We'll soon be debt-free, membership is at record levels, we have a great list across both the men's and women's teams, our base at Brighton Homes Arena is one of the best in the Australian sport, and we have certainty and clarity moving forward with the new Victoria Park Stadium."

AFL CEO Andrew Dillon was stoked to confirm Swann's move to the league's headquarters, saying his immense experience will bode well for the revamped team.

"Greg, across his 26 years leading clubs, has earned a reputation as one of the most passionate and accomplished football CEOs in AFL, steering the on and off-field turnaround of three of the competition's proudest clubs," Dillon said.

"Greg has a deep love and understanding of the game, he respects its heritage and has a great instinct on the future direction of footy. He understands how much it means for so many people.

"As I said last week, the game is the reason we exist; it is as big and as good as it has ever been, and the AFL football department must continue to evolve.

"I have great confidence in Laura and Greg to lead our newly announced football department and continue to work with our clubs, players, coaches, umpires, venues and officials to keep our game strong, and to ensure footy remains the number one sport in the country โ€” by every measure."

Swann's long-standing relationship with the game began in the late 1990s, when he was president of VFA/VFL club Williamstown.

He took on the head role at Collingwood from 1999 to 2007, leading the resurgence from the bottom of the ladder to two consecutive grand finals under Michael Malthouse.

He then switched to arch rivals Carlton ahead of the 2007 season, and oversaw large amounts of change, including the welcoming of Chris Judd, among building strong relationships with major sponsors and the redevelopment of Visy Park (Ikon Park) in 2010.

Swann was then appointed as Brisbane's chief in 2014 during a time of turmoil, when the club struggled both on and off the field. During his tenure, he's seen a major overhaul of the club, its list and people, ultimately resulting in the signing of Chris Fagan and the subsequent successful period, culminating in the 2024 premiership.

He also played a strong hand in the $80 million training facility at Springfield and the surge of members, topping well over 60,000 supporters.