Introduction
Mandana Rebecca Dayani (born May 1, 1982) is an Iranian American entrepreneur, activist, attorney, angel investor, public speaker and media personality known as the Creator & Co-founder of I am a voter. and the co-host of The Dissenters podcast. She is the former Vice President at the fashion and media company, Rachel Zoe where she launched The Rachel Zoe Collection, The Zoe Report, Box of Style, and appeared regularly on Bravo’s The Rachel Zoe Project. She was later the Chief Brand Officer for EBTH (Everything But The House) and the Executive Producer of its TV show project for HGTV. She is also the founder of The Learning Series.
Early life
Mandana Dayani was born in Tehran and attended University of Southern California, where she went on to earn a JD from the USC Gould School of Law. Following law school, she practiced law at the international firm Paul Hastings before leaving law to work as a talent agent and then to pursue a career as a fashion and entertainment executive.
The Dissenters
In 2020, Mandana Dayani and Debra Messing launched The Dissenters Podcast with Dear Media. The podcast features intimate interviews with 20 of their heroes. Guests include: Glennon Doyle, Sophia Bush, Hillary Clinton, Jane Fonda, Congressman Adam Schiff, Lena Waithe, Preet Bharara, Jameela Jamil, Christian Siriano, Shannon Watts, Eva Longoria, and Patrisse Cullors.
Rachel Zoe
In 2010, Mandana left Paul Hastings to help launch the Rachel Zoe Collection, a contemporary womenswear collection, The Zoe Report, The Box of Style subscription box business, and to define and grow the company’s initiatives in business development, digital media, strategic investments, licensing, publishing, brand partnerships, endorsements, and television production. She was part of the founding team of The Zoe Report and The Box of Style. Mandana held this position until 2015 when she left the company.
Everything But The House
Most recently, Mandana was the Chief Brand Officer of Everything But The House, an online marketplace for estate sales which she joined in 2015 to lead its rebranding and build teams dedicated to developing and optimizing its user experience, building one cohesive cross-channel brand, expanding business development and generating global awareness. She oversaw the company’s brand strategy, marketing, partnerships, operations, merchandising, new launches, and global communications. Mandana served as part of the leadership team which raised $84.5 million in venture capital and is the Executive Producer of their TV project for HGTV. Later that year, The Los Angeles Business Journal named Mandana to its 2016 class of Women of Influence honorees.
I am a voter.
Most recently, Mandana founded I am a voter., a nonpartisan movement that aims to create a cultural shift around voting and civic engagement.