London, United Kingdom, November 2025 — Rebecca Russell has taken on a new role as Director, King’s Talent at King’s College London, where she is building a strategic talent management function to structure career development, succession planning, and comprehensive talent processes across the university.
Before transitioning into her new role, Rebecca Russell served for nearly nine years at King’s College London as Director, King’s Search, where she established the institution’s first internal executive search function. In this capacity, she supported senior academic and professional services appointments across the entire university, contributing to leadership hiring strategies and strengthening King’s internal talent pipeline.
Prior to her work in higher education, Rebecca spent over nine years with Odgers Berndtson, one of the world’s leading executive search firms. She held multiple roles in the Education and Schools Practices, beginning as Senior Researcher, progressing to Associate, and later serving as Consultant, Schools Practice. Across these roles, she supported independent schools, universities, and major educational entities in appointing senior leaders such as Vice-Chancellors, Heads, CFOs, Bursars, and Governors.
In addition to her executive search and talent leadership experience, Rebecca contributed to school governance through her six-year tenure as School Governor at Blackheath High School, GDST, where she engaged in strategic oversight and supported leadership decision-making within the institution.
Her early career growth at Odgers Berndtson as Senior Researcher laid the foundation for her deep expertise in educational leadership search, talent identification, and stakeholder engagement—competencies that continue to strengthen her work in higher education talent strategy.
About King’s College London
King’s College London is one of the world’s leading universities, ranked among the top 35 globally and 5th in the UK (QS World University Rankings 2026). Known for excellence in teaching and research, King’s has an influential legacy spanning nearly 200 years. With more than 33,000 students from 150 countries and 8,500 staff members, King’s delivers world-class education and contributes transformative insights to society. Its Vision 2029 outlines bold ambitions as the university approaches its 200th anniversary, continuing its tradition of pioneering innovation, research leadership, and global impact.
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