Russ Reynolds

Russ is the founder and Chairman Emeritus of RSR Partners. After 50 years in the executive search business, he seeks to grow the firm by thinking strategically and globally. Russ also mentors the firm’s employees and meets with current and prospective clients.

In 1969, he founded Russell Reynolds Associates, which soon became one of the world’s leading international executive recruiting firms. Russ sold his interest in the firm in 1993. Prior to the establishment of Russell Reynolds Associates, he was a lending officer at J.P. Morgan & Co. He has counseled the chairmen, presidents, and CEOs of a wide range of companies. He has been a speaker before such groups as the American Society of Corporate Secretaries, The Conference Board, and the President’s Dinner in Washington, DC. Russ also has been featured on the Today Show, The CBS Evening News, and in a BBC documentary. In 1999, he received the Gardner W. Heidrick Award from the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) for outstanding contributions to the executive search profession, and, in 2019, Russ presented this award at the AESC’s 60th Anniversary Conference. He is a former trustee of the Oppenheimer Mutual Funds, where he served as a member of the Governance and Audit Committees, and he is a life trustee of International House. He is a Commodore in the Flag Officer Club of The Mary Rose Trust in London, a fundraising organization involved in the raising of the Mary Rose, the flagship of Henry VIII which sank in 1545. He is also a trustee of Christ Church of Dark Harbor in Islesboro, Maine and a former trustee of the Mystic Seaport Museum. Russ served as chairman of the George H. W. Bush for President Finance Committee in Connecticut and of the Connecticut Republican Finance Committee. He has served on the board of the Foreign Policy Association and on the Development Committee of the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale. Russ is a former director of the Manhattan Christian Academy in New York City.

Russ has maintained a lifelong interest and involvement in his native town of Greenwich, Connecticut. He is a former trustee of the Greenwich Hospital Association and former chairman of its successful $65 million Capital Campaign Committee; an Advisory Board member of The Greenwich Historical Society; and a former vestryman of Christ Episcopal Church and St. Barnabas Church. In 1990, he published a history of his family in Greenwich, entitled Loyal to the Land. In June 2012, his book Heads, about his experiences in executive search, was published by McGraw-Hill. A Yale graduate, Russ has held many positions in Yale alumni affairs. He is currently secretary of his class. He also holds a Doctor of Public Service, honoris causa, from Gordon College. Russ was a first lieutenant and navigator-bombardier in the U.S. Air Force’s Strategic Air Command. He and his wife Debbie reside in Greenwich and have three children and eleven grandchildren. He is a semi-retired cruising/racing sailor and enjoys skiing, racquet sports, and good music.