Hannah Keartland is the visionary founder behind Keartland & Co, a B CorpTM certified consultancy dedicated to supporting businesses with a desire to create a meaningful impact on the world. As an Outsourced Chief Impact Officer, Hannah helps them to amplify and scale up their social and environmental Impacts.
In a world facing pressing challenges and growing concerns about sustainability, social equity, and ethical business practices, Keartland & Co emerged in July 2021 with a compelling mission: to help business leaders who aspire to create a meaningful impact through their organisations, enabling them to scale up their impact. In an era where global issues demand immediate attention, Hannah envisions a future where businesses seamlessly integrate social and environmental impact into their core operations and business model. Her clients predominantly consist of service-based businesses, particularly UK-based professional services firms "The key thing is that the leaders I work with genuinely want to make a positive impact on the world through their business," says Hannah. Keartland & Co is on a mission to address the pressing issues of our world by helping businesses become a force for positive change.
Hannah's decision to establish Keartland & Co was a culmination of her experiences in both the charity sector and the corporate world. Her journey began with a conscious choice to undertake chartered accountancy training at Deloitte after her university years. Her goal was clear - to acquire tangible skills that she could later apply to benefit the charity sector. Following her training, she worked at a small international development charity, where she crafted her first impact report, blending her expertise in advising businesses with her newfound knowledge of the charity sector. Later, Hannah joined Innocent Drinks, a British based smoothie and juice company, driven by her curiosity about working in a business with a broader purpose beyond financial gains. While at Innocent Drinks, she delved into the realm of purpose-led businesses. However, as she reflected on her experiences, she realised that, at that stage, it didn't align as closely with the level of impact she sought.
Subsequently, Hannah took on various roles at Cancer Research UK, immersing herself in project management, leading innovation teams, and eventually becoming Director of Innovation, Insight and Fundraising Portfolio Strategy. During her time within the charity sector, she began recognising the limitations it faced in terms of financial sustainability, scalability, and agility. Hannah realised that businesses, with their financially sustainable business models and ability to scale and innovate, held the power to address some of the world's most pressing challenges.
One of Hannah's most rewarding client engagements began a year ago with BKL, a B CorpTM certified accountancy firm. What started as a one-day planning session has evolved into a long-standing advisory partnership, in particular supporting their Head of ESG. Hannah relishes the opportunity to build deep relationships with organisations, allowing her to pose more probing questions and delve into the intricacies of their operations. "When you get to know an organisation," says Hannah, "you start to understand how they work, and you can ask some of the slightly more challenging questions, and we can get slightly deeper."
Looking ahead, Hannah is passionate about helping businesses understand and address core elements of governance and strategy which will enable them to have an impact such as decision-making approaches and executive compensation. “I think these are things that a lot of businesses don't think about,” expressed Hannah, “and yet really need if they want to have a meaningful impact”. She has also co-founded Impact Pioneers in collaboration with The Spiral Hub, a change management consultancy, an invitation-only group for leaders of service-based businesses This community is focused on how service-based business can scale up their impact through their business model.
Hannah believes that embracing sustainability is pivotal for Chartered Accountants. She highlights the importance of continuous education about the science and actions related to sustainability, emphasising the value of the ICAEW Sustainability Certificate as a great starting point. On an individual and company level, she encourages people to scrutinise where their money is invested, considering ethical banks and funds to align investments with sustainability values “ and the reality is that most of the default options and most of the traditional banks are investing heavily in fossil fuels….it’s a relatively easy thing to do (moving money to a more ethical bank/fund), and yet the impact of it can far outweigh anything else we can do” explained Hannah. Lastly, Hannah urges accountants to be open-minded and embrace change. She believes that accountants' skills, particularly in data-driven and objective decision-making, are immensely valuable and can drive significant positive change in the world.
Hannah's decision to establish Keartland & Co was a culmination of her experiences in both the charity sector and the corporate world. Her journey began with a conscious choice to undertake chartered accountancy training at Deloitte after her university years. Her goal was clear - to acquire tangible skills that she could later apply to benefit the charity sector. Following her training, she worked at a small international development charity, where she crafted her first impact report, blending her expertise in advising businesses with her newfound knowledge of the charity sector. Later, Hannah joined Innocent Drinks, a British based smoothie and juice company, driven by her curiosity about working in a business with a broader purpose beyond financial gains. While at Innocent Drinks, she delved into the realm of purpose-led businesses. However, as she reflected on her experiences, she realised that, at that stage, it didn't align as closely with the level of impact she sought.
Subsequently, Hannah took on various roles at Cancer Research UK, immersing herself in project management, leading innovation teams, and eventually becoming Director of Innovation, Insight and Fundraising Portfolio Strategy. During her time within the charity sector, she began recognising the limitations it faced in terms of financial sustainability, scalability, and agility. Hannah realised that businesses, with their financially sustainable business models and ability to scale and innovate, held the power to address some of the world's most pressing challenges.
One of Hannah's most rewarding client engagements began a year ago with BKL, a B CorpTM certified accountancy firm. What started as a one-day planning session has evolved into a long-standing advisory partnership, in particular supporting their Head of ESG. Hannah relishes the opportunity to build deep relationships with organisations, allowing her to pose more probing questions and delve into the intricacies of their operations. "When you get to know an organisation," says Hannah, "you start to understand how they work, and you can ask some of the slightly more challenging questions, and we can get slightly deeper."
Looking ahead, Hannah is passionate about helping businesses understand and address core elements of governance and strategy which will enable them to have an impact such as decision-making approaches and executive compensation. “I think these are things that a lot of businesses don't think about,” expressed Hannah, “and yet really need if they want to have a meaningful impact”. She has also co-founded Impact Pioneers in collaboration with The Spiral Hub, a change management consultancy, an invitation-only group for leaders of service-based businesses This community is focused on how service-based business can scale up their impact through their business model.
Hannah believes that embracing sustainability is pivotal for Chartered Accountants. She highlights the importance of continuous education about the science and actions related to sustainability, emphasising the value of the ICAEW Sustainability Certificate as a great starting point. On an individual and company level, she encourages people to scrutinise where their money is invested, considering ethical banks and funds to align investments with sustainability values “ and the reality is that most of the default options and most of the traditional banks are investing heavily in fossil fuels….it’s a relatively easy thing to do (moving money to a more ethical bank/fund), and yet the impact of it can far outweigh anything else we can do” explained Hannah. Lastly, Hannah urges accountants to be open-minded and embrace change. She believes that accountants' skills, particularly in data-driven and objective decision-making, are immensely valuable and can drive significant positive change in the world.
