Experience:
Russell Wilson is Associate Partner, Research at Omera Partners, based in Brisbane, where he works across both the board practice and the executive search practice. With more than 28 years in executive search research, Russell is known for the rigour and discipline he brings to every mandate, and for a level of judgement that only decades of the work can build. We met with Russell to hear how he approaches the research that sits behind a successful search.
What is your role at Omera Partners and what brought you to executive search research?
“I joined Omera Partners in 2004, in the Sydney office, as the first researcher and the person who established our research function. I had started in search in London in 1998, focusing on investment banking roles. I was approached then, and although I left for a period to do other work, we stayed in touch and I rejoined in 2011 from North Queensland. I work across both the board and executive search practices.”
What does the research process involve, and how do you support the partners and practices you work with?
“Executive search works because it rests on a rigorous, repeatable process, and that is what separates it from recruitment, which is often just a quick list of names. My process has evolved over 28 years, but the principles hold. We take the brief, then calibrate against real profiles, which shows whether we and the client truly agree on what the right person looks like. LinkedIn shifted the work from finding people to filtering them, so judgement matters more than ever, and I never assume someone is strong simply because of where they have worked or what they tell you. I like to work alongside the consultant in partnership, attend every client meeting, and listen far more than I speak.”
What do candidates, clients and colleagues experience when they work with you?
“I engage genuinely with the role and the client, and honesty comes first. With candidates I listen far more than I talk, and I remember the human details, the small things that make a person real rather than a profile. I am always straight about whether a role is a fit, because approaching someone disrupts their life and raises their hopes. Clients value the feedback those conversations produce, because in research you sit across the whole market, and that is a genuinely privileged position.”
What do you most enjoy about working at Omera Partners, and what are you most proud of in your work?
“The satisfaction comes from solving a client’s problem by finding people they did not know existed, or did not know they needed. A search is like assembling a jigsaw, and I have always believed in reflecting honestly on every one, which is why I introduced a formal search review when I led research. The focus should be the process and treating everyone fairly, not who found the successful candidate. I am proud of being honest with people, and of a board appointment where I identified potential others had missed and the person went on to be recognised in the role.”
“To me, Greatness is found in repeatable success.”
What does life look like outside the office?
“I have been married for 34 years and we have two wonderful daughters. I love being near water, whether swimming or snorkelling in the ocean. I played football into my early forties, still enjoy watching plenty of sport, and having lived and worked in five countries, I feel very lucky to call Australia home.”
