Meet Hannah Russell

Before joining Parliament, I trained as an actress, working for a Theatre-in-Education company. I then had various roles including supporting public access to the house and grounds of Althorp House (Princess Diana’s ancestral home). At Parliament, I started out in Visitor Services as a tour guide. I then moved to an Operations Manager role. This involved developing a customer services charter and strategy and organising ceremonial events. I also studied for a Master’s in Business Administration alongside this.  

I joined the House of Commons Library in 2016 as the Head of Library Operations and Engagement. I managed the front of house team responding to requests from MPs, overseeing library loans, and organising promotional events and talks. I became the Restoration and Renewal (R&R) Lead in 2019. My role is to ensure the Library’s requirements are fully developed, understood, documented and incorporated into the programme’s plans. This involves negotiating with R&R statutory bodies and stakeholders across Parliament, exploring opportunities for new ways of working, making improvements to business processes, and re-imagining the Library service. 

The biggest challenge here is understanding Parliamentary procedure but there’s a lot of guidance to help you. The Research and Information team, which the Library is part of, is a supportive network of experts! There’s always a friendly colleague to provide insight and advice on a whole range of topics.