Louise is a charity and NGO professional whose experience encompasses campaign and organisation development, policy and fundraising. She has worked within local, national and international organisations challenging inequality. She is currently the Director of Policy and Advocacy at Open Ownership, a global initiative driving technology and policy changes that increase corporate transparency. Louise leads a program of work supporting governments to establish open data registers of the people who benefit, or control companies based in their jurisdictions.
Previously Louise was Head of Development at Transparency International UK, where she worked closely with the organisation’s research, policy, advocacy and communications teams to develop and fundraise for campaigns and projects that address a variety of anti-corruption issues. Louise was instrumental to the development and realisation of Transparency International UK’s Corrupt Capital campaign to highlight and reduce the role of the UK as a safe haven for international corruption. It successfully developed and advocated for new legal powers to deal with corrupt wealth hidden the UK, which became UK law in 2017, and secured widespread media coverage of corrupt money in the London property market.
Louise’s career began through community action in her local area of Southeast London. Louise managed outreach and training projects providing training to local people through Eclectic Productions, a social enterprise using media to empower people to make their voices heard. Together with the company Directors and a small group of committed volunteers, Louise co-founded Reprezent Radio, a community project enabling young Londoners speak out to challenge inequalities, and debate directly with decision makers. Louise led the successful application to secure Reprezent Radio’s licence to broadcast on FM, and it is now established as the leading young urban radio station in the UK.
Louise is on the Trustee Board of Economy, a charity using media and campaigns to make economics understandable and increase public engagement with economic issues. The charity was established by Rethinking Economics, an international movement of students, academics and professionals promoting pluralism and critical thinking in economics.
Louise holds a degree in psychology from the University of Sheffield. In 2019, as part of her Atlantic Fellowship, she completed an MSc in Inequalities and Social Science at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Louise was honoured with the Tony Atkinson Prize, given to the master’s student with the highest achievement in the study of inequalities.
I am interested in how economic systems can become more equitable, and specifically in how greater public participation in economic debates can facilitate greater economic equity. In order for genuine democratic engagement, I believe that better public understanding is needed; education and changing the narrative within mainstream media have key roles to play.Louise Russell-Prywata