He’s the ambitious accountant who now finds himself in charge of the NRL.

Unknown by the vast majority of fans at the start of the week, interim chief executive Andrew Abdo has steadily built a significant presence within Rugby League Central.

The game’s chief commercial officer since 2016, Abdo’s department has been a focal point of the NRL’s business and he has evolved by working under the game’s most powerful identities.

While Todd Greenberg had been the game’s CEO for the entirety of his time on the executive, staff at Moore Park have noted Abdo was not far below him.

Abdo recently travelled to the USA with ARL Commission chairman Peter V’landys for high-powered talks with Lachlan Murdoch and global streaming companies.

He has also sat in on meetings with broadcasters for the past month, having been behind the game’s brand and image for several years.

His rise from an accountant who had lived in Australia for less than two years when he joined the NRL, coincides with one of the game’s biggest setbacks, the coronavirus pandemic.

South African born and educated, Abdo’s first job in Australia in 2012 was as a director for accounting firm Deloitte.

It was there he was first exposed to rugby league, before he was hired by the NRL to work alongside long-time marketing chief Paul Kind.

From there, Abdo worked on strategy under head of operations Jim Doyle before becoming a key advisor of then CEO David Smith.

Then in a staffing reshuffle he moved back into the commercial department under Michael Brown, where his profile and responsibilities grew.

Abdo’s first major project was a revamp of staffing in the department that he drove, presented to the commission and executed.

“And then we got to negotiations,” Brown told AAP.

“I was driving the renegotiation with Sportsbet as our betting provider, and he said ‘can I do this and share it with you?’.

“So he was right there and did a brilliant job working internally with their lawyers and working on best outcomes, which he did fabulously.

“I rate him really highly.”

One of the main criticisms from Abdo’s detractors is his lack of a sporting, or more importantly, rugby league background.

But Brown insisted that was irrelevant as Abdo’s feel for the code developed.

“He was a great analyst,” Brown said.

“You give him numbers, crowd figures, comparisons, financial figures … he was brilliant at analysing them.

“What the crowd should be, what it would be, what it was last year.

“And he became a really keen student of the game. He brought that analysis ability and skill. He became a lover of rugby league.”

Others who have worked alongside Abdo aren’t so sure he is a league man, the bloke that would sit on the couch and watch with a passion, like Greenberg did.

But they are supportive of what he’s done since he succeeded Brown four years ago.

During his time in the role, Abdo has taken non-broadcast revenue from $144 million in 2016 to $204 million at the end of last season.

He was also the driving force behind American rapper Macklemore’s high-profile grand final appearance in 2017, plus this year’s rebooted ‘Simply the Best’ marketing campaign.

“He’s ambitious,” another former NRL colleague told AAP.

“When you look at the commercial success, no doubt he’s done a great job.

“The question he has to ask himself is: ‘Am I better off continuing to do commercial work or being the face of the game’?”

As the the code’s interim frontman face, Abdo will confront unfamiliar challenges.

He’s likely to hold the role for the majority of this year at the least, with head office prioritising the code’s return ahead of a search for Greenberg’s successor.

There’s also every chance he could retain the role full-time, given he is the current front runner for the job.

But Abdo has rarely, if ever, fronted a press conference and he is yet to address the media en masse.

And for former high-ranking officials who know the game can be harsh on its leaders, that is a concern.

Nor has he had the experience of being a CEO either, a likely imperative in a sport where everything falls back on who occupies that role.

Abdo will face obstacles in club land, too.

Within days of his promotion, some club chiefs were already comparing their own strained relationships with Abdo.

This was no judgment on Abdo’s commercial acumen – given they had never sat in on a broadcast or sponsor meeting with him – but rather personality-based after previous issues.

Questions have also been asked about his spending around different marketing projects, with clubs wary of expenditure levels at head office in recent years.

Then there is always the argument that clubs want a rugby league man as the figurehead.

All of which will be a test for Abdo, given relationships rarely improve dramatically with clubs during a CEO’s reign.

Others in club land though, are more open.

They want to see who would be on an executive team alongside Abdo and what kind of football nous they offer.

Also of interest is what hand V’landys continues to play.

The pair have formed a close bond and worked tirelessly in the game’s hour of need.

V’landys this week gave Abdo, who importantly has also worked across numerous departments, the commission’s backing and full confidence.

V’landys’ support shapes as vital after Abdo was handed a poisoned chalice that now sees the game searching for its fourth CEO in eight years.