Professional biography research with those who hold formal positions in educational organizations is an established approach to researching leaders, leading and leadership. A key focus is on the oral account of a life story, and this can include family and wider life experiences. What is less of a feature is how the respondent codifies their professional biography through the curriculum vitae (CV) as a record of key achievements. In this article we report on the use of the CV in a project that focuses on the professional biographies of women who hold senior positions in higher education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We identify how and why the CV is a productive methodological tool, and how the field can add this to its repertoire of data collection methods.