Wendy Piatt

Wendy Louisa Piatt (born 17 November 1970) is the Director General of The Russell Group of UK universities from January 2007.

Piatt was born in Birkenhead, in the Wirral, and went to convent school in Birkenhead.

She was awarded a first class honours BA in English from King's College London before studying for an MPhil in Shakespeare and Renaissance drama and then a D.Phil at Lincoln College, Oxford. Her thesis was entitled "Politics and religion in Renaissance closet drama".

Piatt went on to work for the left-of-centre think-tank, the Institute for Public Policy Research before joining the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit, where she rose to the post of Deputy Director. She was a former head of education at the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR).

In January 2007, she was appointed Director General of The Russell Group. In December 2016 it was announced that she would step down from her position with the Russell Group despite having been cleared after an internal investigation into her travel and expenses.

She is a board member of the Snowdon Trust, founded by the Earl of Snowdon, which provides grants and scholarships for students with disabilities.