On day one in office yesterday, a confident Fanny Law said she would be unbiased and impartial in her work and communicate with her colleagues.

Law emphasized that she would uphold the rule of law when she met the media a day after being appointed Commissioner of Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

The ICAC chief said the commission had proper mechanism to ensure that each case is treated in a fair manner. She said she was feeling like a child going to school for the first day, but added she was confident that she could master the skills.

Speaking about the new job, Law said: "My challenge is to protect Hong Kong's reputation as the cleanest city in the world. I hope my colleagues and the community will support me."

Law has worked in various departments for the past 30 years since she joined the administrative service in 1977. "I have to go through a process of learning when taking up a new post. But I have learned (during my tenure in the Education and Manpower Bureau) the importance of life-long learning and progressing with time," she said.

"I think my first priority is really to get to understand my colleagues and the work, their difficulties and see in what way I can support them," she added.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang announced on Tuesday that Law, who was Permanent Secretary for Education and Manpower, would take ICAC reins from Raymond Wong.

Law was known for being fully involved in her job when the education sector was undergoing sweeping reforms and for being hard-nosed and tough.

She said that she would rely on her colleagues to carry out the operations.

"The colleagues in ICAC are professional, experienced and energetic. I can fully rely on them to complete the tasks," she said.

Law, who had lunch with senior ICAC officials on Tuesday, said she was impressed by their devotion to work. "I am fully interested in my new job after listening to my colleagues' brief description of their work," she added.