EPISODE 43:

Mark Russell

CEO The Children's Society: Fighting for Hope and Happiness

“You change the world, when you change the lives of children… It is better for society to build stronger children, than fix broken adults.”

Mark Russell was appointed Chief Executive of The Children’s Society in 2019 and leads a team of 750 staff and 10,000 volunteers. He is passionately committed to social justice and fighting for children and young people. Before joining The Children’s Society, Mark served as Chief Executive of Church Army for 13 years.

Mark grew up in Northern Ireland and read Law at Queen’s University Belfast. He has 10 years’ experience as a youth worker, supporting young people in England and Northern Ireland. In 1999, Mark was awarded the ‘British Gas Tomorrow’s People Award’ for his cross-community work, bringing Catholic and Protestant young people together across Northern Ireland in the run up to the Good Friday Agreement. 

Mark has been a Trustee of The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England and has served as Chair of The Marylebone Project, the largest women only homeless project in the UK. He is a Governor of a large high school in Hampshire, an Honorary Canon of Southwark Cathedral and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts. 

Mark lives outside London with his partner David and in his spare time he loves to travel, keep fit and a good red wine. If he were ever on Mastermind, his specialist subject would be the West Wing! 

https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/   

Twitter: @markrusselluk