Hannah McCartan, former owner of Swansea-based McCartan Lettings, has been named Female Entrepreneur of the Year 2026 at the Welsh Business Awards.
McCartan founded the independent letting agency in September 2006 and ran it for almost two decades before selling the business. She then moved into consultancy and coaching, with her work now focused on independent letting agency owners.
The award arrives in the same month that McCartan marks 20 years since launching her former agency.
From agency owner to consultant
McCartan now runs Hannah McCartan Consultancy, with much of her work focused on independent letting agencies in Wales. She advises businesses on compliance, profitability, systems and team performance. She also works as a partner coach with The Estate Agent Consultancy.
McCartan said her experience of building and selling an agency had shaped her work with other business owners.
“I know first-hand what it feels like to own a letting agency: the responsibility, the pressure, the compliance, managing a team, trying to make a profit and wondering whether the business you’ve spent years building will ultimately have any real value,” she said.
“Having built and sold my own agency, I now get to use those experiences to help other agency owners build stronger and more valuable businesses.”
‘Plenty of mistakes and difficult lessons’
McCartan’s career has also included property investment and renovation. Commenting on the award, she said: “Winning Female Entrepreneur of the Year feels incredibly special, particularly as this month also marks 20 years since I first opened the doors of McCartan Lettings.
“I’ve spent most of my adult life building something, whether that has been businesses, property investments, renovations or, more recently, my consultancy.
“There have been some fantastic successes along the way, but also plenty of mistakes and difficult lessons, and I think those experiences are ultimately what make me better at what I do today.”
McCartan’s consultancy also focuses on the Welsh lettings sector. She works with independent agencies on the commercial, operational and regulatory challenges they face.
