The Irishman had always refused requests to disclose his remuneration package when he was head of the world governing body, including to his own ruling Management Committee.

But Cookson made the figure public today, while at the same revealing that he would be paid CHF340,000 (£235,000/$378,000/€275,000) for the role, following an extraordinary meeting of the UCI Management Committee in Aigle. 

Cookson had claimed during the election that McQuaid's refusal to reveal what he was paid was proof of lack of transparency within the UCI.

The Briton also made several other key decisions today, including taking the first step to establishing new Independent Commission to look into claims of corruption within the governing body.

The UCI came under pressure a year ago when the United States Anti Doping Agency (USADA) published its Reasoned Decision in relation to the Lance Armstrong investigation.

McQuaid pledged then to appoint an Independent Commission to look into the claims against the organisation, claiming he, his predecessor Hein Verbruggen and others would be cleared of being involved in helping Armstrong evade drugs tests as he won seven consecutive Tour de France titles.

But the UCI controversially closed it down in January.

Cookson pledged today to conduct an audit of UCI's current anti-doping systems and controls would be carried out, with the results of this to be used as the basis for establishing a new and fully independent anti-doping body in 2014.

Brian Cookson claims that he "has started the process of modernising the UCI's constitution" following today's extraordinary meeting of the Management Committee