In addition to Ling, the leadership group consists of Gary Ablett, Jimmy Bartel, Joel Corey, Corey Enright, Joel Selwood, James Kelly and Harry Taylor, all of whom were sitting alongside the new skipper at the announcement.
There will be no vice captains within the leadership group, with any of the group expected to deputise for Ling if required.
"It is a very proud moment, it's a great honour captaining the Geelong Football Club, the team I barracked for as a kid," Ling said at Skilled Stadium on Wednesday. "But I think the most exciting bit is the group that we've got up here in front of us - I think why we've been a success over the last few years has been the range of leaders and the strength of our leaders.
"It's a great group we've got here, but it's also Matty Scarlett, Darren Milburn, Cameron Mooney, Max Rooke, Paul Chapman - it's a large range of blokes who really control the direction of the team, and push us to keep getting better."
The 2004 best-and-fairest winner said the stellar job done by newly-retired dual-premiership skipper Tom Harley and the previous leadership group - of which he was vice-captain - meant that it would be a case of 'steady as she goes' at the Cattery.
"I don't think we need to change too much, especially myself, I don't need to change too much about the way I go about things as a leader," Ling said. "Just because I've got a 'c' next to my name doesn't mean I have to reinvent myself as a leader.
"I think I do a lot of things well, but I've got to keep improving as well.
"These guys do a great job, and I think as a whole group we're just going to continually push the team and the club in the direction we want to get to so we can have more success."
Ling was selected on Tuesday at a meeting where senior players and members of the football department and management gathered to choose the new skipper.
The 28-year-old has long been regarded as one of the hardest players in the AFL and said his leadership style already reflected that.
"I like to think of myself as pretty hard and pretty ruthless in expecting the guys to keep getting better, to look at ways of getting more and more professional," Ling said.
"We as a whole group here are always challenging each other, and I think I'll continue to do that, as I've done over my whole career, and I think every bloke here will do the same thing as well."
Kelly and Taylor are the only new additions to the leadership group, with Harley the only loss.
Cameron Ling averaged 88.42 points as a midfielder in last year’s Toyota AFL Dream Team.
Pre-register for Toyota AFL Dream Team and win grand final tickets for you and four of your mates
