Peter Fahy, currently Chief Constable of Cheshire, has been named as Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police.
Mr Fahy succeeds Michael Todd, 50, who was found dead on Snowdonia in March. The father of three had disappeared after speaking of personal troubles.
The new chief constable will lead one of the country's biggest forces, which employs about 8,000 officers.
He will be expected to ensure crime continues to fall at the high rate it did in Mr Todd's final months.
Mr Fahy, 45, told a news conference he had known and admired Mr Todd and he would be a hard act to follow.
But he promised to maintain action against gun, knife and violent crime and offences involving alcohol.
He said young people's "dislocation" with society was providing a fertile breeding ground for knives and guns and there was no "easy fix".
He said police had to use enforcement measures, such as stop and search, as well as intelligence-gathering, forming better relations with young people and working with local people at a neighbourhood level.
His predecessor Michael Todd went missing on 10 March, and his body was found on Mount Snowdon the next day.
Tests showed he was over the legal drink-drive limit, but the exact cause of death, an apparent suicide, has not been established.
An inquest into Mr Todd's death has been opened and adjourned.
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