December 31, 2021
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have hired an Iranian-American woman to be their new chief operating officer at their media firms and foundation, all called Archewell, after their son, Archie.
The Duke, 36, and Duchess of Sussex, 40, who are currently living in a $14 million mansion in Santa Barbara, California, have taken on tech and media executive Mandana Dayani, 39, to “oversee their growth strategy and day-to-day operations,” the organization told Fortune magazine.
The Iranian-born immigrant, who will report directly to Prince Harry and Meghan, previously worked as a talent agent. She was vice president at the fashion and media company, Rachel Zoe, Inc., and is the creator of I Am A Voter, which encourages voter participation.
Born in Tehran in 1982, Mandana later fled Iran with her family to Ladispoli, Italy.
She was then granted asylum as a religious refugee in the United States and the family settled in New York before moving to Los Angeles.
She attended the University of Southern California, where she received her BA and went on to earn a law degree from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.
While the job announcement has only just been made public, Mandana began her new position in June.
According to the website, she will be overseeing operations for the couple’s Archewell Foundation as well as the media businesses Archewell Audio and Archewell Productions.
She told Fortune: “I am so inspired by the vision and unwavering dedication of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to create a more united, truthful, safe, and equitable world. I am thrilled to build upon our shared mission to drive systemic cultural change.”
Mandana worked with fashion designer Rachel Zoe for the last five years, and before that worked as a corporate attorney and commercial talent agent.
Rachel and Meghan have known each other for years, though it is unknown if the fashion designer introduced the duchess to Mandana.
