Press release: Russell Prior, Chair of The Bell Foundation from 2013 – 2021, awarded OBE
Russell Prior, our Chair from 2013 – 2021, has been awarded an OBE for his services to charity and philanthropy.
We’re delighted that Russell Prior, our Chair from 2013 – 2021, has been awarded an OBE for his services to charity and philanthropy.
Under Russell’s nine-year tenure as a Trustee and then as Chair, The Bell Foundation grew to become recognised as the leading voice on overcoming exclusion through language education. Today, the Foundation provides guidance, training, and research to support the 5.1 million people in England and Wales who speak English as an Additional Language (EAL).
Russell’s extensive commercial, financial, and charitable governance experience has enabled the Foundation to partner with over 60 licensed trainers and train over 100,000 teachers to support learners who speak EAL, alongside strategic investment in proven interventions with partners that make a real impact at scale nationally.
Reflecting on the award, Russell said: “It’s an absolute honour to be recognised for my contribution to the charity and philanthropy sectors. The worlds of charity and philanthropy are so important to the health of our communities.
“Through my involvement in these sectors, I have met so many committed and inspirational people and organisations, each with their own motivation to improve the societies we live in. To all the colleagues and friends I have had the pleasure of working with, I’d like to express my appreciation and gratitude for the shared journey.”
Diana Sutton, Director of The Bell Foundation, said: “This recognition of Russell’s invaluable contributions to The Bell Foundation and other charitable organisations is very well deserved. Russell led the Foundation from its beginnings as a startup through a period of notable growth through his strong charitable values, public-spirited generosity, and determination to make a difference to those excluded from participation in society.”
As one of the founding Trustees in 2012, Russell was pivotal in overseeing The Bell Foundation transition to become the sole charitable shareholder of the Bell English language school, with the school’s profits being used to fund charitable activities – one of the only examples of its kind in the schools’ sector.