The phrase "a number of highly placed" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to refer to individuals who hold significant positions or authority within an organization or society.
Example: "A number of highly placed officials attended the conference to discuss the new policy changes."
Alternatives: "several senior officials" or "a group of top executives".
The primacy of the US-Chinese relationship was familiar to a number of highly placed officials in the Obama administration.
The United States and the European Union have now enacted a substantial range of sanctions on Russia, cutting off credit, banning arms exports and limiting the transfer of so-called sensitive technology, as well as targeting a number of highly placed individuals.
A number of highly placed people called me about Finke before I had a chance to call them, either to praise her (so that they could let her know they had done so) or to spew venom, or to be able to report back to her what I'd asked about or, in at least two cases, all three.
Amid widespread rumours that Tudjman had lapsed into a terminal coma last week, The Observer has been told by a number of highly placed sources that an announcement is being embargoed until early this week to avoid a possible putsch at the weekend.
A number of highly placed people called me about Finke before I had a chance to call them, either to praise her (so that they could let her know they had done so) or to spew venom, or to be able to report back to her what I'd asked about — or, in at least two cases, all three.
Morally speaking, surely there is a difference for some, a world of difference between planting a bomb in a government building and killing a number of highly placed officials of (what one considers) an unjust and oppressive government, and planting a bomb in a tea shop and killing a random collection of common citizens, including children.
Previous studies using graph analytical tools to examine the topology of the mammalian brain network have shown the existence of a number of highly connected regions that occupy a central place in the overall architecture (Bassett et al. 2008; Hagmann et al. 2008; Bullmore and Sporns 2009).
We also identify a number of highly 'druggable' events that occur in a minority of cases.
But over the years there have been a number of highly acclaimed pictures of this kind.
The paper has published a number of highly damaging scoops about Trump since he took office.
Its initial success has been met with a number of highly publicised setbacks.
