Mark Russell

Mark Kenneth Russell (born 25 June 1974) is a charity executive. Since 2019, he has served as the Chief Executive of The Children's Society. He has additionally served as a lay member of the General Synod of the Church of England and of the Archbishops' Council, both from 2005 to 2011 and from 2015 to 2019. He was previously a local preacher in the Methodist Church in Ireland, and was a reader in the Church of England.

Early life and education Russell was born on 25 June 1974 and brought up in Northern Ireland. In 2005, he was elected as a lay member of the General Synod of the Church of England and appointed to the Archbishops' Council as its youngest member. He was made an honorary canon of Worcester Cathedral in 2011. In November 2015, he was re-elected to the General Synod as a lay representative for the Diocese of Sheffield and re-appointed to the Archbishops' Council. His term of office ended in 2019.

In April 2019, he was announced as having been appointed chief executive officer of the Children's Society. He took up the post in August. In the 2026 New Year Honours, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) "for services to charity".

Views Russell is a supporter of Diverse Church, an organisation for LGBT Christians attending evangelical churches in the UK. He wrote the foreword of Amazing Love: Theology for Understanding Discipleship, Sexuality and Mission (2016), a collection of essays by Anglican theologians that affirm LGBT relationships for Christians.

Russell supports the ordination of women as deacons, priests, and bishops in the Church of England.

, Russell was a member of the Labour Party, and a former executive of Christians on the Left.

Personal life Russell lives in London with his partner David.