Hannah Challis
Executive Advisory | Leadership Assessment | Board & Team EffectivenessI work with boards, CEOs and senior leaders on the moments that matter — appointments, transitions, performance inflection points and organisational change.
My focus is simple: clearer judgement, stronger leadership impact and reduced risk in critical people decisions.
How I Work
Leadership decisions at the top of an organisation carry disproportionate impact. The quality of thinking, alignment and behaviour at board and executive level determines performance, culture and long-term value.
I provide independent, commercially grounded advice informed by deep experience in leadership assessment, executive performance and organisational dynamics. My work is pragmatic, confidential and focused on tangible outcomes.
Services
Executive Leadership
What I do
I coach CEOs and senior leaders on real, current challenges, including:
• Role transitions and first-100-day priorities
• Stakeholder management and board engagement
• Decision-making under pressure
• Leadership style, judgement and personal impact
• Navigating conflict, complexity and competing expectations
Typical outcomes
• Clearer priorities and sharper focus
• Better judgement under pressure
• Stronger alignment with boards and executive peers
• More consistent and effective leadership behaviour
• Increased confidence in high-stakes situations
Assessment & Feedback
What I do
I provide rigorous, independent assessment to support selection, development and succession decisions, including:
• Executive and leadership assessment
• Psychological profiling
• 360-degree feedback processes
• Team and culture diagnostics
• Written advisory reports for boards and nomination committees
Typical outcomes
• Clearer go / no-go appointment decisions
• Reduced hiring and succession risk
• Shared understanding of strengths and development gaps
• Evidence-based development priorities
• Greater confidence in critical talent decisions
Talent & Succession
What I do
I support boards and executives to strengthen leadership depth and continuity through:
• Evaluation of candidates for executive and critical roles
• Design and facilitation of succession planning processes
• Identification of high-potential leaders
• Structured onboarding and early-performance support for senior hires
Typical outcomes
• Identified ready-now and ready-later successors
• Stronger internal talent pipelines
• Smoother executive transitions
• Fewer performance surprises in senior appointments
• Improved long-term leadership bench strength
Team & Culture
What I do
I work with leadership teams to improve effectiveness, alignment and behaviour, including:
• Leadership team reviews and resets
• Addressing dysfunctional dynamics or unresolved conflict
• Clarifying decision rights, accountabilities and ways of working
• Supporting teams through change, integration or restructuring
Typical outcomes
• Clearer roles and accountabilities
• Improved trust and working relationships
• Faster, more disciplined decision-making
• More consistent behaviour across the leadership group
• Stronger collective ownership of performance
Board Reviews
What I do
I conduct independent board and committee effectiveness reviews tailored to the organisation’s context and governance maturity.
This includes:
• Board performance and composition reviews
• Chair and director feedback
• Committee effectiveness assessments
• Evaluation of board–management alignment
• Governance process and information flow review
My approach combines confidential director surveys and interviews, observation where appropriate and structured written reporting with clear, practical recommendations.
Typical outcomes
• Clearer view of board strengths and gaps
• More effective board dynamics and debate
• Improved alignment between board and management
• Stronger governance processes and information flow
• Actionable development priorities for chairs and directors
Who I Work With
I partner with:
• Boards and nomination committees
• CEOs and executive teams
• Listed, private and not-for-profit organisations
• Organisations navigating transition, growth or complexity
Engagements are confidential, direct and tailored to the organisation’s context.
Who I am
I am an Executive Director at Challis & Company and lead the firm’s leadership consulting practice, advising organisations on assessment, onboarding, development and succession.
My career spans more than 30 years in leadership assessment and organisational psychology. I began in a graduate role at Accenture (then Andersen Consulting), before spending nine years as a Managing Consultant with SHL in Sydney and Chicago. At SHL, I specialised in talent measurement and executive assessment, working with large, complex organisations on selection and development decisions. In 2004, I joined Macquarie Group (ASX:MQG), where I spent 11 years and ultimately served as Global Head of Talent. I built and led a global team of 25 across EMEA, North America, Asia and Australia, responsible for recruitment assessment strategy, organisational development, talent management, learning and leadership development, and culture and engagement. I reported to Macquarie’s Global Chief People Officer and worked closely with senior executives on leadership capability and succession.
In addition to my advisory work, I recently joined the board of the Sydney Jewish Museum as an observer. I recently served as Chair of The Shalom Institute at the University of New South Wales, a Non-Executive Director of Jewish Communal Appeal and as a Non-Executive Director of the Australian Psychological Society. These roles deepen my understanding of governance, leadership accountability and organisational dynamics in practice.
I am a Registered Psychologist with a practice endorsement in Organisational Psychology. I am also a Graduate member of the AICD.
I hold a Bachelor of Arts (Research) with Honours in Psychology and a Master of Applied Psychology with Honours from the University of New South Wales.
