Hannah Statham (2006)
Eat, save, love
Never be afraid to change lanes to chase your passion
If you plan to have an `Eat, Pray, Love’ phase, make sure you have enough money to do the `eat’ part well, Hannah Statham advises.
`It’s no fun living in Milan if you can’t afford a cappuccino and croissant,’ she laughs of her pilgrimage to `find herself’ in Italy shortly after graduating from university.
Hannah’s Italian escape was prompted not so much by a mid-life crisis as a quarter-life one, realising the legal life she had mapped out in front of her was not actually the life she wanted.
`I graduated with first class honours and a Bachelor of Laws and Media Communication (from QUT), and a plan to work in law. I’d always been good at law, had an interest in it, and plans to build my career in it. However, sometimes what you’re good at and what you really enjoy are different.’
So, she did what many people at a crossroads do: she got on a plane and flew halfway around the world.
It led to the start of a new path that would eventually see Hannah recognised as one of Queensland’s brightest young entrepreneurs. But it began by taking a step back, not forward.
`I spent 12 months learning Italian at an Italian language school, which was incredibly humbling. I was back counting to 10 and learning the colours of the rainbow.’
She also travelled, met new and interesting people, thought about what she wanted from life, and adopted very Italian priorities by ensuring she `ate incredibly well’.
In the Italian Alps
When she started to run low on funds, Hannah returned home with a new career in mind that leaned into the media, rather than the legal side of her qualifications.
Her timing and foresight were perfect.
Back when Hannah had begun her dual Media/Law degree in 2007, blogging was in its infancy and `influencer’ was yet to become a career. But she nonetheless saw the seismic shift about to grip the communications industry. It excited, rather than scared her, prompting her to switch her degree from journalism to media communications. She could see the new digital landscape would open powerful channels for brands to connect directly with audiences, bypassing legacy media.
In hindsight it seems the obvious path for someone with both her passion and knack for communicating a message—she was, after all, the winner of both the Junior and Senior Merle Weaver Public Speaking Competitions at Girls Grammar.
`On my last day in Italy, I saw a job ad on Facebook calling for a publicity superstar to join Tourism Queensland. I wrote a tongue-in-cheek cover letter that I didn’t know anything about publicity, but I was the superstar they’ve always wanted,’ Hannah remembers. Fortunately, this was in an era when humans rather than AI vetted applications, and they appreciated the cut-through, rather than key-word focus, of her unconventional approach. `I had landed the role by the time I touched down in Brisbane.’
What followed was four years promoting and travelling to every corner of Queensland in `the best job in the world’
A job with Tourism Queensland took Hannah to the farthest corners of the state
Hannah eventually moved on to a bigger role managing social media for a large financial corporation but soon found greater scale can be the enemy of nimble and creative communications.
Again, she took a risk and bet on herself, leaving to go freelance.
`Six months into my own business and I’d doubled my salary, hired an employee and had office space.’
Eight years down the track, Hannah runs her own successful content marketing agency, Media Mortar, looking after brands including Brisbane Airport Corporation, Sapporo, Carlsberg, EVA Air, and Tourism & Events Queensland.
In 2025 she was a finalist in Queensland 40 Under 40 and was named in News Corp Australia’s 250 Young Entrepreneurs List.
The Girls Grammar tradition of service still runs deep, prompting Hannah to give back through mentoring with Brisbane’s Business Hub and the national Assisterhood program to lift underrepresented females in marketing.
She credits a Girls Grammar education with instilling a fearlessness and willingness to give anything a go that have served her well in life.
`When I was at school, I wasn’t the smartest, the most creative, the sportiest—but there was always a place in a team, orchestra, or competition for me. BGGS encouraged my insatiable thirst for trying new things which has been one of the greatest competitive advantages in my business. As cliché as it sounds, I rarely ask ‘what if it fails’ – but rather ‘what if it flies’?
For someone who thrives on change, it’s surprising that Hannah’s fondest memories of School are the moments of stillness—sitting with friends in the afternoon sun on the Stage Lawn, with a tuckshop `grab bag’ and the rare privilege of having nowhere to be.
`Such a small thing but it’s where we discussed our hopes and dreams for the future.’
Hannah’s two daughters are enrolled and waiting to start their own Girls Grammar journey in coming years—coincidentally, in the same years as the children of those School friends.
`It makes me excited to think they could be sitting on the same Stage Lawn eating a grab bag together.’
Sunny days on the Stage Lawn
Travelling and promoting Queensland was `the best job in the world'
On Keswick Island off Mackay