Leveraging brand to shape what is next, right now

One principle has become eminently clear across the last year: to thrive in the world of tomorrow – one that will be informed and shaped by COVID, social justice efforts, environmental and economic crises, and technological shifts of an unknowable scale – organizations will need a different type of leader.

This is what we do at Russell Reynolds Associates (RRA): find the right leaders for our clients to shape what is next, right now. the dramatic changes the world and the business landscape faced in 2020 underscored the critical importance of how we help our clients. It also exposed an opportunity for us to clarify how, exactly, we improve the way the world is led. 

Telling our story consistently, and enabling our colleagues to share it, is a crucial part of this. We are thrilled to activate our refreshed brand and voice in the marketplace – sharing our process and why we have landed where we have with you.

Who we are: Russell Reynolds Associates is Dynamic, Discerning, Brave and Purposeful

We unanimously agreed to retain RRA’s longstanding purpose of improving the way the world is led. This remains core to the firm’s day-to-day and long-term vision. to emphasize the people-centric and human way we work, our team thought about RRA as a living and breathing entity with human characteristics. Throughout the refresh process, we accentuated the human traits that would help bring the brand to life, unveiling the firm’s persona as dynamic, discerning, brave and purposeful.

The next phase was analyzing key client analytics and putting pen to paper, defining why our clients partner with us. Notably, we sought to delineate this in a way that encompasses the wide range of perspectives and expertise each colleague, consultant and client provided. We discovered many attributes that are encoded into the DNA of the firm, but that we haven’t traditionally brought to the forefront in our communications. Under our refreshed brand, we are emphasizing how:

1. We treat clients’ organizations like they are our own.
2. We bring a diverse team.
3. We uncover relevance.
4. We challenge with purpose.
5. We unlock their best.

For us, it is not just about finding the right candidate, but about the outcome. It is ensuring the leaders we support are successful. It is helping our clients to understand that critical issues around DE&I and sustainability are no longer optional or “nice to have,” but imperative.

The way we go to market and our collective expertise are a significant driver of our brand. In a sea of sameness, we recognize a clear opportunity to show up differently and emphasize the human-centric way we work – and reflect all the ways we are boldly improving the way the world is led.

Through our brand, we help shape a brighter future

Monumental disruptions are constantly redefining the business landscape, showing there is no such thing as a “far off” future. Change is accelerating at a rapid pace, impacting tomorrow’s business prospects today. Many organizations are assessing their needs in terms of the type of leaders who will be able to help them usher in the next phase of growth amid both current and future headwinds.

We are evolving the RRA brand to stand out and help organizations thrive in the world of tomorrow. It is imperative that our clients understand that by partnering with RRA, they are receiving a mix of expertise, empathy and compassion in everything that we do.

By better telling the RRA story, we can show up for them as a partner that is purposeful and committed to their success. One that can shape a brighter, more equitable future for tomorrow’s leaders. And one that, person by person, is helping clients set progress in motion and reshape what the future looks like – for organizations, our communities and the world.