Leigh Russell is an Organisational Development Specialist, Board Director, Performance Coach and public speaker—with qualifications in the arts, teaching, counselling, career counselling and business. Leigh is an accomplished sports leader, having developed a successful career building growing and leading across challenging high performance environments, with significant understanding of sport at all levels. Leigh was the first woman to hold a senior executive position within an AFL Club (working across football & administration) and the youngest CEO appointed in Netball Victoria’s history.

Now, Leigh runs Inspired Heads, a management consultancy and coaching practice that specialises in working with sport and corporate organisations around leadership, high performance, governance, building positive cultures and executive coaching.

With business partner Bianca Chatfield, she founded ‘The Ignition Project’ – an online leadership and personal development program for women. She serves as Chair of Tennis Victoria’s Nominations Committee, a Director of the State Sport Centres Trust, and is a former Chair of Women’s Health West & Director of AFL SportsReady. She is also the performance coach on Foxtel’s The Recruit.