Kenneth G. Hanna was born in Vanguard, Saskatchewan and spent his formative years in town across Alberta and Saskatchewan, before graduating from Crescent Heights High School in Calgary. He began law school at the University of Edmonton, but a visit to Vancouver at the start of his second year and a chance meeting with Dean Curtis inspired him to transfer to the University of British Columbia. The Dean was curteous enough to change Hanna's second year time-table to enable him to meet the school's calendar requirements.
Hanna was able to secure articles in Vancouver and over the next 33 years would practice in corporate finance and natural resources. His years of experience prepared him to become the President and CEO of a diamond mining venture in 1996, but retired when the company moved its headquarters to Toronto. Beginning in 2006 he served a term as a Commissioner of the British Columbia Securities Commission and chair of the Governance Committee, retiring once again after his term expired.
Throughout his career, Hanna enjoyed the opportunities afforded by his legal training. He served as director of several publicly listed companies in the forestry, oil & gas, mining, and pulp businesses. He was a director or governor of two stock exchanges, and helped instruct numerous courses on securities law and corporate governance. His care for community showed through volunteer terms with the Board of Family Services of the North Shore and with the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation.
Mr. Hanna also has the unique quality of having been a season ticket holder of the Vancouver Canucks for at least the first 41 years of their existence. His other hobbies include fishing, hiking, and travelling.