Rachael Thompson is Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader within the Leadership and Human Resource Management department, Faculty of Business and Law at Northumbria University. She is currently Programme Leader at Postgraduate level for MSc Strategic Leadership and for MSc Strategic Leadership for Public Services (Degree Apprenticeships). Rachael develops, leads, and teaches on various leadership, personal development, reflective practice, and research methods‐based modules. She also supervises research students at Undergraduate and Doctoral levels.

Rachael holds a doctorate centred on followership within public sector contexts, and has published her research in various journals and books including Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Leadership Education, Journal of Leadership Studies, and New Directions for Student Leadership. She has held Guest Editorial positions for journals including Industrial and Commercial Training, and New Directions for Student Leadership. Rachael has presented her research at multiple international conferences, participated in panel discussions, and more recently undertook a co‐chair position for the 1st Global Followership Conference (Canada, 2019). Rachael is an active member of the International Leadership Association's Followership Learning Community and held the role of chair 2018–2019.