Mr McGowan (45) has just resigned from being deputy rector of Otago Boys' High School, a position he held for five years, and will join the chamber shortly.
He replaces John Christie, who resigned from the position last year, having been with the organisation 21 years.
Chamber president Ali Copeman said she was delighted to welcome Mr McGowan aboard, citing his extensive leadership background, with more than 14 years in senior leadership roles, and varied skill set, which were ''very transferable to the business community,'' Mrs Copeman said yesterday.
''Dougal is very tenacious _ he was a major driving force behind Dunedin securing the Fifa U20 World Cup games this year in his former role as chairman of Football South,'' she said.
Mr McGowan said he was an ''adopted son'' of Dunedin, since arriving in the city 25 years ago to study at the University of Otago.
''I am passionate about Dunedin and Otago and what it offers, and relish the opportunity to continue raising the profile of local and regional businesses and the economic opportunities available,'' he said in a statement yesterday.
With the wealth of commercial, educational and business successes, Mr McGowan said the chamber needed to focus on bringing all these local resources together with local government, to create partnerships to support plans, aspirations and innovations in the region.
