Ms Rachel Hannan

Rachel is an Entrepreneur and Angel Investor who has founded and successfully grown her own businesses, as well as supporting the growth of many more as a Non-Executive Director, Board Advisor and Investor. She is passionate about enterprise and job creation, as well as helping to grow businesses and supporting people and organisations to reach their full potential.

To date, she has invested in 14 businesses across a range of sectors as broad as technology, food manufacture, medical devices and education, but more recently has had a particular focus on those in the human capital space, including companies in the leadership and organisational development, HR consultancy and recruitment sectors.

With experience gained in tax, corporate finance, HR and management consultancy, plus senior search and selection, predominantly with PwC, she has also founded two businesses. The second of these, Gatenby Sanderson, grew to become a market leader in its sector of senior appointments and leadership consultancy in the public sector within seven years, before she successfully exited in 2010.

Rachel is Chairman of Real World Group, a university spin-out company delivering market-leading leadership diagnostic tools. She also dedicates time and funding to a number of “not for profit” organisations and social enterprises, is currently Chair of the Leeds Community Foundation and has previously chaired appointments panels for the Judicial Appointments Commission.