Kristjaan Speakman was impressed by Alex Neil's "clear vision" for Sunderland.
And the sporting director says the "immediate priority" of everyone at the club is to deliver promotion this season.
Neil was confirmed as new head coach on Friday night, signing a 12-month rolling contract.
Speakman said:"Throughout his career, Alex has demonstrated that he can make an immediate and lasting impact," said Speakman.
"He expressed a clear vision on how he wants to take the team forward, which strongly aligns with our core principals, and we firmly believe that he can influence performances and results in the short term.
"We are grateful to our supporters for their patience throughout what has undoubtedly been a challenging period and thank Mike Dodds and Michael Proctor for overseeing our first-team programme in the interim."
Despite Sunderland's dreadful form, Speakman and Neil are still targeting promotion.
He added: "Now, our immediate priority is to support Alex and the team to ensure we deliver promotion this season and reward the faith continuously placed in us by our supporters."
Neil has won promotion twice already in his career, taking Hamilton Academicals into the Scottish Premiership via the play-offs, as well as winning the Championship play-offs with Norwich City.
