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The Center for Leadership Insight (CLI) exists to further Russell Reynolds Associates’ mission to improve the way the world is led. It forms the cornerstone of the firm’s analysis of evolving business issues and their leadership implications.
The CLI combines analysis of proprietary and secondary data assets with RRA’s unparalleled relationships with senior leaders around the world and the expertise of our consultants. Our position and methodology enable us to bridge the gap between big picture trends and what they mean for the people that lead their organizations through them.
Current research themes include transformational leadership; the drivers of effective C-suites; AI transformation and trust; expanding CEO pipelines; leadership potential and performance; and the next generation of leadership in the future of work.
The CLI reports into Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Chief Science Officer at Russell Reynolds Associates and globally recognized authority in people analytics, leadership assessment and development, and the human-AI interface.
Meet the team
Gabrielle Lieberman 
Gabrielle leads the Center for Leadership Insight, sharpening the firm’s understanding of the most critical issues affecting leadership. She oversees all the team’s primary research initiatives and sets the CLI’s research agenda, connecting across and beyond the firm to identify the leadership issues that matter most to our clients.
Gabrielle spent nearly a decade leading the trends and social media research teams at Mintel International, where she advised executives on how to use insights to make more informed business decisions about product assortments, uncover new opportunities, and identify shifts in the marketplace. Prior to joining RRA, she led insights at a technology startup focused on helping women stay active in the workforce.
Gabrielle serves as an adjunct instructor at the Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University Chicago. She holds a MS in Journalism from Northwestern University and a BS in Fashion Marketing from Woodbury University.
Leah Christianson
Leah is the CLI’s managing editor, where she supports the entire firm’s thought leadership catalog. Partnering with consultants, commercial strategy teams, and external experts, she helps deepen RRA’s insights on topics including AI's impact on leadership, women’s representation in the C-suite, and the future of work.
She also leads IP development for RRA Artemis, the firm’s initiative to further top executives’ impact and expand the CEO leadership paradigm at the world’s most influential organizations.
Previously, Leah was a member of RRA’s Consumer Technology practice, where she developed search strategies, managed client relationships, and assessed product, fintech, and marketing talent. Before joining the firm, she taught creative and business writing courses at Miami University and was the editor-in-chief of Oxford Magazine. She began her career at a boutique healthcare consultancy.
Leah received her BA in English and Political Science from UCLA, and an MFA in Creative Writing from Miami University.
Joy Tan
Joy manages the Center for Leadership Insights’ research on CEO succession and board advisory research. She leads quantitative and qualitative research around key topics such as CEO succession decision-making complexities, meaningful behaviors for a highly effective board, and how boards can impact employee experience.
Joy is passionate about understanding how to develop and prepare leaders for an increasingly uncertain and complex future. She partners with market experts to translate unique data and insights into practical solutions that support client needs. Her work investigates how leaders can sustain motivation and confidence, foster resilience, and stay meaningfully engaged in a world that places ever-growing demands on those in leadership roles. Her latest analysis delivered actionable insights to strengthen succession processes and leadership development, supporting the retention of next generation leaders.
Joy holds a BA in Biological Basis of Behavior with a minor in English from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MPH in Epidemiology and Global Health from the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health.
Ela Buczynska
Ela leads the Center for Leadership Insights’ research on transformation, shaping the firm’s perspective on how leaders navigate complex and continuous change. She is an expert in research design, survey methodology, and data strategy, translating complex data into actionable insights for clients.
In addition to her research, Ela has driven operational improvements across the firm’s research and data infrastructure, enhancing scalability and access to insights. Her work has helped democratize data across the organization, enabling broader and more efficient use of research in client work.
Prior to joining Russell Reynolds Associates, Ela worked at C+R Research, where she designed and led multi-phase research programs integrating qualitative and quantitative methodologies, partnering with clients to deliver insights through survey design, data analysis, and strategic storytelling.
Ela holds a BSc in Business (Marketing and Economics) from DePaul University and an MA in Applied Cultural Analysis from Lund University in Sweden.
Beth Hawley
Beth leads large-scale research within the Center for Leadership Insight, shaping the firm’s perspective on leadership readiness, organizational health, and executive talent trends.
She leads the Global Leadership Monitor, the firm’s flagship survey of senior executives worldwide, which examines how leaders respond to disruption and evolving organizational challenges. From 2024–2025, she also led the Leadership Confidence Index, a longitudinal measure of how leadership capability is perceived as market and organizational conditions change.
Her work spans primary research, data strategy, and thought leadership, helping translate complex data into practical insights for clients on leadership, talent, and performance. She previously led the Center’s sustainability research, authoring thought leadership and global survey-based insights on leadership and organizational issues.
Before joining Russell Reynolds Associates, Beth spent eight years working across organizations of varying sizes, with experience in organizational development, strategy, statistics, executive training, and performance feedback systems.
Beth holds a BS with honors in Psychology from Westminster College and an MA in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.