Rugby league | Katie Brassil creates history after becoming the first woman on the Wests Group's board of directors.

The dozens of directors dating back to the club’s foundation in 1960 have one thing in common. All have been men. Until Brassil that is, who this week was appointed after filling the casual vacancy created by the retirement of long-serving director Jack Ashman, a former university lecturer and licensed bookmaker.

“The important part is they [Wests’ directors] have acknowledged there are capable women who can make a valuable contribution,” Brassil told the Newcastle Herald.

“I’m very pleased to be the first, and I’m sure I won’t be the last.

“I don’t shy away from the fact I’m female, and I’m pleased people notice. But at the end of the day my credentials stack up with respect to my business expertise.

“I’m a qualified company director and an experienced company director.”

Brassil not only boasts a proven track record as a businesswoman, she is accustomed to working in a male-dominated domain, as Centennial Coal’s executive general manager of external affairs.

“In my particular business, five per cent of the workforce are women,” she said.

“I’m the only female on the senior executive of the company, so I’m very comfortable among men in my working environment, but I look forward to potentially in the future welcoming many more women onto the Wests board.”

And while she has “never stuck my head in the front row of a scrum”, she served on the Newcastle Knights’ board before the franchise was taken over last year by the Wests Group, and believes that experience will prove advantageous.

“I spent three years on the Knights board, so obviously I’ve been able to have a look under the lid of that side of the business,” she said.

“So I guess I’ll bring a range of skills to the board.”

Her first assignment after being appointed will be to attend Saturday’s trial between the Knights and Parramatta at Maitland.