Hannah Wandel - Board Chair and Founder

Hannah Wandel is the 2019 ACT Young Australian of the Year, a senior public servant, a public speaker, and the Founder and Chair of national non-profit Country to Canberra, which empowers young rural women to reach their leadership potential. Hannah was CEO for more than 6 years, building the organisation to run four standalone programs that educate about leadership and equality. Hannah’s efforts have seen her named one of Australia’s ‘100 Women of Influence’ by the Australian Financial Review, win the 2019 James McWha Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Adelaide, win the 2017 National Emerging Leader Award from the Institute of Managers and Leaders, and attend the 2018 United Nations Commission for the Status of Women in New York. She’s been a speaker at TEDxYouth, won a Layne Beachley Scholarship, has been a Director on various boards and is currently a CEO Advisory Panel Member for the Commonwealth Bank. In 2018, she travelled 32,000km to reach over 3,500 girls in 80 bush communities to drive change. Hannah stepped back from the Country to Canberra CEO role in 2020, and is extremely proud that the organisation has created a pipeline of leadership opportunities for young people to thrive.

Committed to public service and strengthening rural communities, Hannah is currently a Senior Executive within the Commonwealth public service at the National Drought and Flood Agency. She was previously a broadcast journalist, and often presents at events around Australia. She holds Law (Hons) and Media degrees from the University of Adelaide.