Russell Group turns to public policy veteran for next phase of university lobbying

Thomas Edwards | 21st January 2026 | Lobbying, Uncategorised

The Russell Group has picked Professor Libby Hackett, an Australia based public policy specialist, as its next chief executive, handing the UK’s most influential research university lobby to a leader with deep experience in government facing policy work and sector politics.

Hackett is due to start in May 2026, succeeding Tim Bradshaw, who said last year he would step down around Easter 2026 after nearly a decade as chief executive and more than a dozen years at the organisation. Hackett is well known in UK higher education circles for her earlier leadership of University Alliance in the early 2010s and for previous senior roles inside the Russell Group, where she worked on research and policy. Her return comes at a moment when universities are lobbying ministers over a prolonged funding squeeze and trying to shape Labour’s developing higher education agenda, from research budgets and industrial strategy links to the political sensitivity of international student numbers. The appointment was announced on 21 January 2026. In Australia, Hackett has led the Australian Public Policy Institute since its launch in 2021, positioning it as a conduit between universities and government through commissioned research, grants and fellowships. Sector coverage has repor...

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