Our leadership team
Our leadership team comprises our 'Executive Leadership Team' and our 'Senior Leadership Team'. Between them, they're dedicated to guiding the shape and direction of our service and ensuring that we’re meeting our legal responsibilities.
To find out more about leadership team members and their roles and responsibilities, click/tap their bios below.
Mark Hamilton-Russell
Head of Corporate Services
Executive Leadership Team
Preferred pronouns
He/Him/His
He/Him/His
Professional passions and goals
Mark champions and strives for open and honest two-way dialogue between all West Midlands Fire Service staff and is passionate about owning a strong brand identity that reflects the core of West Midlands Fire Service - who we are, all the amazing things we do for the communities we serve.
His goals include the great communications ambition of being able to change behaviours, ultimately making people safer through the actions they take on a daily basis.
Mark also leads our facilities management, workshops and sustainability teams, ensuring our buildings, vehicles and sustainability as a service are improvement, developed and maintained to a high standard.
Skill set and experience
A communications professional with a Master's Degree, Mark has extensive experience in the communications and advertising industry.
He has worked with West Midlands Fire Service for 15 years in his role as Head of Communications, working with a truly talented team of professionals who continue to inspire him on a daily basis. He was appointed to Head of Corporate Services in April 2024.
Interests and hobbies
He is a great believer in keeping busy – in and out of work. He is a trustee of a number of charities, including The Cavalier Centre (Riding for the Disabled) and the Soldiers of Shropshire Museum (Shrewsbury Castle)
Work history
Having served in the army for seven years, travelling across the world, Mark then worked as Account Director in the advertising industry - for agencies such as Saatchi & Saatchi and Euro RSCG - working with clients including Lloyds TSB, Volvo Cars and Procter & Gamble.
During this period of his working life, Mark learned the huge importance of embedding creative thinking into everyday communication and engagement – as everyone has different ways of learning and absorbing information.