Hannah Graham

Hannah is CGA's Managing Director who holds over ten years of experience in education, public administration, and the design and implementation of systems to support delivery of basic services and cash transfers. Before becoming MD, Hannah served as CGA's Projects Director for Sierra Leone and Kenya. She was previously based in Kenya as our Country Coordinator, and in South Sudan supporting our education and public administration work.

As PD for the Sierra Leone Education Attendance Monitoring System (https://sleams.org), she oversaw the development of a system to support management of teacher records and payroll, working closely on both with the Sierra Leone Teaching Service Commission. Prior to this, she was PD supporting the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation on the management of healthcare workers in the wake of ebola (https://hrhsl.org).

She led the strategy, design and oversaw the development of CGA’s cash transfer support to WUSC’s Kenya Equity in Education Project (KEEP II) and subsequent LEAP projects, supporting girls in and around refugee camps in northern Kenya. She served as Project Director of a Feasibility Assessment for UNICEF headquarters on the development of a global MIS for its humanitarian cash transfer (HCT) programmes, a piece of work which helped to inform UNICEF’s approach to forming a common cash system with WFP, UNHCR and OCHA.

In South Sudan, Hannah worked on the Girls’ Education South Sudan (GESS) project as a Coordinator during the rollout of the South Sudan Schools’ Attendance Monitoring System (SSSAMS) as well as process management of Cash Transfers and Capitation Grants to schools and pupils. She also previously supported the implementation of the South Sudan Electronic Payroll System (SSEPS) across six South Sudanese states.

She is an experienced qualitative researcher, having led research and evaluations for CGA clients including the British Council, USAID’s Learning Contract, the World Bank, Brac and worked as an independent education consultant for Adam Smith International and Save the Children. For the latter, she researched and wrote ‘Hear it from the Children, South Sudan: We want to learn, even during war’.

Hannah serves as CGA's company-wide Safeguarding Focal Point and Diversity and Inclusion Officer. She has worked in Sierra Leone, Kenya, South Sudan, Uganda, Somalia and Lebanon and is based in Glasgow, UK.

She holds an MA in Conflict, Security and Development from King’s College, London, an MA (undergraduate) in Politics from the University of Glasgow and will earn an LLB in Scots Law from the same institution in 2021.