Heather Russell

Heather J. Russell is Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of TransUnion, a Chicago-based global risk and information solutions provider operating in 30 countries.  Best known for being one of the three national credit reporting agencies, TransUnion’s mission is to help people around the world access opportunities that lead to a higher quality of life.

As Chief Legal Officer, Heather reports to the Company’s CEO and leads a team of 160 professionals.  She oversees the company’s Legal, Compliance, Board and Corporate Governance, Government and Regulatory Relations, and Consumer Privacy functions.  She is also a member of the Global Operating Committee.  Prior to joining TransUnion in 2018, Heather was Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of Fifth Third Bank; Managing Director and Global Head of Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs at Bank of New York Mellon; and Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Bank of America. She also spent eight years at Skadden, Arps in Washington, DC and London focused on financial regulatory issues and cross border M&A and corporate finance.

Since moving to Chicago in June of 2018, Heather has become involved in the local community. She has launched a Pro Bono Program at TransUnion where the Legal Department provides free legal services to those most in need within the Chicagoland area, and served as the Annual Benefit Gala Chair for the Illinois Legal Aid Online organization.  Heather is also an active member of the National Women’s Law Center, serving as the 2019 Annual Gala Chair.  She is also involved with the Human Rights Commission Advocacy Team for Transgender Rights, and is a long-time fellow of the Salzburg Global Seminar on Finance in a Changing World.

Heather is the exceedingly proud mother to Spencer (16) and Milly (15) and lives in the Gold Coast neighborhood with her partner Timothy Mayopoulos.