Jonathan Welch speaks to Ticketer CEO Kelly Hanna about the journey that brought her to the bus industry
Most people in the industry will have heard of Ticketer, a company founded by John Clarfelt just 15 years ago, but which has risen quickly to become a well-known name. Its products are in use on thousands of buses across the country, belonging to operators large and small. The company recently celebrated 8 billion ticket sales; roughly one for every person on the planet. But with John stepping back, who is behind the company now, and what is it doing to maintain its market position? We spoke to the company’s enthusiastic and energetic CEO Kelly Hanna, who took over the position in 2023, to find out more.
I first met Kelly and heard her story at the most recent Young Bus Professionals conference in Cambridge, where she told her interesting and possibly unusual story to an audience of up-and-coming industry figures. With that in mind, we found time in her busy schedule for a chat, and I started by asking a little about Kelly’s background and what brought her to the ticketing industry.
“As I mentioned at the conference, my lifelong ambition was to be a barrister. Coincidentally, John Clarfelt qualified as a barrister but I didn’t, because I realised I hated law as soon as I started it. I think I had a ‘mid-life crisis’ at 18 and one lunchtime, after wondering what I was going to do with my life, I walked into the Army careers office in Leeds, where I’m from, and signed up.
“It’s quite a swift process actually, they’re quite keen to get you in! So I went off and I spent about three years in the military. I served as a soldier,” Kelly said, somewhat humbly. “It was an experience that made me the person that I am today, and I’m grateful for that.
“Actually, it really did shape me. I’d like to think I’m not as entitled as I was when I was younger. It made me quite resilient and strong and quite driven I think that has served me well in my career because to succeed in any industry you’ve got to be tenacious and driven, and really quite focused in terms of where you need to be.
“I left the military because I fell pregnant with my son. Back then, 24 years ago, the military wasn’t as mother-friendly and although 24 years doesn’t feel like a long time ago, it really is and a lot has changed. You could smoke in the office back then!”
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