Hannah Rieger was born in Vienna in 1957. Her parents, whose family background was Catholic and Jewish, had lived in exile in England for almost twenty years.

She completed a degree in economics at the University of Vienna (Mag. rer. soc. oec), followed by two years postgraduate studies in economics at the Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS – Institut für Höhere Studien) in Vienna.

After a short period working as a university assistant at the University of Vienna, she joined the specialist banking group Investkredit in 1983, where she worked until 2010 in various functions including Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications. For many years, Hannah Rieger has been working as an independent consultant for professional development (group dynamics trainer at the Österreichischer Arbeitskreis für Gruppentherapie und Gruppendynamik (OeAGG – Austrian Association of Group Psychotherapy and Group Dynamics), and supervisor and coach with OeAGG and the Österreichische Vereinigung für Supervision und Coaching (OeVS – Austrian Association for Supervision and Coaching).

She is also the author and editor of a number of professional publications on topics such as corporate subsidies and family businesses. In 2014 she published her first work on Art Brut – 'Kunst, die verbindet' (United in Art) – through AQ-Verlag, Vienna. The Globart book catalogue 'Living in Art Brut. 123 Works from the Hannah Rieger Collection' followed in 2017.

2018/2019 the Art et Marges musée, Brussels, showed 105 works from her collection ('Les Femmes dans l' art brut?'). Hannah Rieger curated (together with Ingried Brugger) 'Flying High. Female Art Brut Artists' in 2019 at the Kunstforum Vienna and is co-editor of the book-catalogue.

She also works as a lecturer and moderator, e.g. on art topics. From 2008 to 2018, Hannah Rieger was a member of the University Council at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, and from 2013 to 2018 its Deputy Chairwoman. 

Hannah Rieger has been collecting Art Brut since 1991.