Russell was born in the Taranaki region and moved to Buckland Road in Matamata with his family in 1978.

Russell attended Matamata College where he was Head Boy in 1985 and then went on to study a Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS) at The University of Waikato.

In 1994 Russell set up his own accountancy practice in Matamata town centre, which he has now recently sold. As part of this practice set up he converted land from sheep & beef properties to dairy for syndicates which he is still involved with as both a shareholder and director.

Russell is a keen sportsman. He played representative Cricket & Rugby, was part of the NZ youth team and played over 100 games at what is now Waikato Stadium. Russell took out the Junior Grade at the NZ Shearing Championships in 1986 and sheared sheep to get through University.

Russell is the Founder and CEO of Hobbiton Movie Set, NZ’s world-famous tourism attraction since 2002. The extraordinary development of Hobbiton Movie Set, on the back of the movies, has led to Hobbiton becoming a must do experience in NZ.