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Every sports leader will tell you leading a major entity is never a typical workday.

Newly appointed Women's Tennis Association (WTA) leader Valerie Camillo is familiar with working around the clock from past positions - notably as a board member of the entertainment company managing American iconic singer Dolly Parton's entertainment venues.

As well as her input regarding Parton's brand empire, Camillo steps into the helm at women's tennis bringing extensive background throughout athletics and show business, with past roles in strategic positions at the world's premier basketball league, National Hockey League (NHL) and America's pastime.

Camillo commences her leadership position at the WTA in the coming weeks, taking over from the veteran Steve Simon, after his lengthy leadership is ending with his retirement.

Middle East Expansion, Pay Parity & Men's Tour Integration - Confronting Major Challenges

When Camillo takes charge in mid-November, she steps into facing significant matters previously handled by her predecessor.

Simon drew praise recently for what was widely seen as a courageous moral stance in suspending WTA events throughout the Asian nation.

It was a response to concern for Chinese player Peng Shuai, who vanished in public for three weeks after accusing a senior government figure of sexual assault.

But the monetary fallout of the decision were significant.

Leadership changed direction from the ethical position recently and took the Tour back to China, afterward pursuing to fill the financial gap through selecting wealthy Gulf nation as venue for the tour finale.

The move to a country where women's rights faced limitations drew criticism, and with the Finals taking place once more in Saudi Arabia next week the Gulf state's influence will come under more scrutiny.

Leadership approved a temporary arrangement with the Saudis - providing historic payouts of $15.5m (£12m) this year - showing Camillo will be leading talks of what happens in coming years.

Middle Eastern funding further offers substantial assistance for the tour's goal to securing equal prize money for shared Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and WTA events in the near future and other premier events in coming years.

The prospect for combining commercial assets together with ATP is still being negotiated, with the two governing bodies clearly seeing the importance of unification regarding media, information and partnership agreements.

The current fragmented landscape regularly leaves fans and investors perplexed and frustrated.

Notably, the administration for both tours faced opposition via court proceedings from the players' union, which has criticised the governing bodies ignoring player welfare.

Leadership understands the clear benefit of collaborating with the richer ATP, however the incoming leader seeks to prevent the WTA losing influence in decision-making processes and marketing opportunities as a result.

Listening to concerns about scheduling and competitor fatigue will also be high on Camillo's agenda.

Given she leads she leads both the players and tournaments, she will have to listen to the needs for each group and strike a balance increasing income and player well-being whose talent generates it.

Unlocking Further Growth in Women's Sport Boom

Leadership changed hands from multiple roles last year - which followed tennis legend Martina Navratilova advocating for reform - and the organizational shift finalizes through naming the new chair.

This appointment indicates continued progress during a changing time within women's tennis, one where the tour looks to increase its profile in a bustling sports entertainment market.

Camillo is tasked with elevating the reach for the sport and may find motivation from her close-up experience of seeing how celebrated musician - with her 'Dollywood' theme park and branded items alongside artistic achievements to create global appeal - celebrated as a model of commercial development.

Within athletics, Camillo will lean on her experience gained while leading commercial activities for the NHL team professional squad - specifically improving their home arena to premier venue - and being chief revenue officer of the Washington Nationals professional organization.

Her understanding with the commercial sophistication within major leagues - notably approaches to fan growth and attract investment through innovation - regarded as a significant element for choosing her.

The transition to women's tennis comes at "a moment of accelerated growth and opportunity"according to the organization.

The time is now in female athletics. Income produced across women's sport in the past year exceeded one billion dollars and industry experts predict it will hit $2.5bn (£1.8bn) in the coming decade.

The new leader's goal will be to ensure the WTA and its leading stars - featuring Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek - secure substantial portion of the expanding market.

"Our organization includes the biggest women's sports stars in the world and occupy a privileged spot in women's sports," the new chair stated.

"Across women's sports, funding, viewership and coverage grow rapidly.

"For most part obstacles for women's competitions is building awareness, attracting fans and eyeballs and attention," stated the chair.

"The WTA faces distinct circumstances - with over five decades of history, possessing remarkable tradition, massive worldwide audience, and including highly visible, best-rewarded players globally."