Who exactly is advising Meghan and Harry? Meet the Sussex squad
Last week the trailer for Meghan and Harryâs explosive, tell-all Netflix documentary appeared to be strategically shock-dropped as William and Kate began their US tour to Boston.
Jointly produced by Netflix and the coupleâs media and charitable organisation, Archewell, "The series explores the clandestine days of their early courtship and the challenges that led to them feeling forced to step back from their full-time roles in the institution," according to the official synopsis. However, production insiders claim the show is âworse than the royals can imagineâ and âwill be very damagingâ as the multi-million dollar six part series also promises to expose the dark inner workings of The Firm.
Now days before the documentaryâs official release Archewell president Mandana Dayani, who has been pegged as one of the coupleâs most important aides, will step down from her role after only 18 months. In a statement Archewell said: "Ms Deyani was brought on during their parental leave to move the company and its projects forward. She has continued to shape its vision and future successfully. Her transition was mutually planned, with intent for The Duke and Duchess to now take full lead of their company.â
It added that, âThere will be no replacement for this position, and Ms Deyani is fully supportive of the Duke and Duchess in their leadership roles, and they remain friends.â
The Iranian-born activist has since changed her Linkedin profile to âPresident, Archewell, Full-time Jun 2021 â Dec 2022, 1 yr 7 monthsâ to reflect the exit but has not yet updated her page with a new job title or position.
The duke and duchess first started assembling their Hollywood dream team back in 2020, when they moved into their new home in Montecito, Santa Barbara. Among their big hires at the time were former Pinterest communications chief Christine Schirmer, former Bill Gates staffer (and friend of the Trudeaus) Catherine St-Laurent, and hot-shot Hollywood producer Ben Browning, the brains behind Emerald Fennellâs Oscar-nominated film Promising Young Woman.
However, Deyani is now one of the 13 top staff members to leave the Duke and Duchess since 2018, where top aides Toya Holness, Archewellâs global press secretary, Meghanâs long-term agent Nick Collins and St Laurent have also parted company with the Sussexes.
So whoâs left? From their hot-shot strategy mastermind who used to work for Hillary Clinton to the Duchessâ longtime power lawyer, this is who remains of the Sussexâs dream team.
Mandana Dayani
Role: Former President of Archewell
USP: Podcaster, entrepreneur and angel investor who once interviewed Hilary Clinton and recently attended Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltzâ wedding.
Background: Iranian-born Dayani was hired as Harry and Meghanâs new president in June 2021.
As an attorney, activist and tech adviser with experience in fashion, media and podcasts, she was well suited to the Sussex brand: her CV includes stints as vice president at the fashion and media company Rachel Zoe and being the founder of voter participation organisation I Am A Voter and female-centred event series The Learning Series â impressive accolades even aside from the fact that she arrived in the US as a refugee after fleeing Iran with her family.
The former New Yorker is no stranger to mixing with A-listers. Her Instagram followers include actress Jennifer Aniston, author Glennon Doyle and poet Amanda Gorman and in April she posted a series of Instagram pictures from Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltzâ star-studded Florida wedding.
Other career highs include the time she interviewed Hillary Clinton alongside fellow podcast host and Will & Grace actress Debra Messing, which undoubtedly stood her in good stead for advising Meghan on her Archewell podcasts.
âSo grateful everyone gets to finally hear again from the kind, brilliant, compassionate leader I get to work with every day,â she wrote on Instagram last week, announcing Meghanâs new Archetypes podcast. Clearly, sheâs a big fan of her boss.
Ashley Momtaheni
Role: Executive VP for Global Communications at Archewell
USP: High-flying Hollywood exec and PR guru who began her career on American breakfast TV
Background: On May 30 2021 she starting as executive vice president for global communications as a replacement for Toya Holness, the Sussexesâ former global press secretary and ex-footballer who reportedly quietly left Archewell earlier this year. She had recently attended the Invictus Games in the Netherlands with the Sussexes while overseeing the filming of their Netflix documentary about it.
Momtaheni might not have any experience with former royals but her CV is littered with blockbuster household names: she started her career at Warner Bros and Good Morning America, which regularly reports on stories about the Sussexes, and has since worked as director of corporate communications at United Talent Agency and as head of communications for US media company Annapurna Pictures.
Before joining the Sussexes, she was VP of global communications and media relations at Universal Filmed Entertainment Group.
Rebecca Sananès
Role: Head of Audio at Archewell
USP: Content creator and journalist who previously produced a podcast for New York Magazine
Background: Attention has been turning to Sananès and her previous role ever since Meghanâs bombshell interview with The Cut this week.
The LA-based journalist and audio expert previously worked as lead podcast producer of Pivot, a series by Vox Media and New York Magazine, publisher of The Cut. Could she have pulled strings to help put her new boss on the cover?
Sananès worked in public radio before joining Pivot, which will no doubt have proved useful in her latest role. She is currently executive producing Meghanâs new Spotify podcast series Archetypes, which she describes as âthe most scrutinized woman in the world talk[ing] about the labels all women deal withâ.
âWatching #Archetypes soar to the number #1 podcast in the world and the outpouring of connection, kindness and support has been beyond my biggest dreams,â Sananès wrote on Instagram this week alongside a picture of herself in front of an Archetypes billboard in New Yorkâs Times Square.
âThis is what women do together. Thank you to our team, our listeners and the special people around me.â
Miranda Barbot
Role: PR guru brought on to âtransform their imageâ
USP: Barack Obamaâs former staffer known for being a âshrewd operatorâ
Background: She helped re-elect Obama as a 19-year-old undergraduate in 2012 (she won a scholarship to join the ex-presidentâs team). A decade later, New Yorker Barbot has been hired by the Sussexes to help âtransform their imageâ - a sign of the coupleâs political ambitions?
The PR superstar previously worked as a press secretary for the New York City Department of Education and reportedly left a job at top US PR firm BerlinRosen to join Harry and Meghan on Archewell. Sheâs already flown overseas with them at least once, joining them in Holland for the Invictus Games. She has described herself on Twitter as a âyear-round iced coffee drinkerâ.
Christine Schirmer
Role: Senior Advisor at Archewell
USP: Former Pinterest exec who studied at the same university as the Duchess of Sussex
Background: Before joining the Sussexes in California, Schirmer worked as head of communications for image-sharing platform Pinterest in San Franciscoâs Silicon Valley. She had been in charge of the siteâs communications since 2017 and left the company in July 2020 to help Harry and Meghan boost their global image as their head of communications. She has since been promoted to senior advisor.
The English and French-speaking media executive previously studied journalism at Northwestern University - the same US university as Meghan Markle, with sources confirming it was âquite possibleâ the two had met there - and has since worked as corporate communications manager at Apple and in communications at a San Francisco-based marketing company called Digg.Â
On her LinkedIn page, Schirmer, 42, describes herself as a communications leader and advisor who loves âbuilding teams, learning new things and making the conversation interestingâ and on Instagram she calls herself a comms advisor, mum and âpop culture enthusiastâ.
A publicist who knows her told the Daily Mail: âChristine is the real deal. Sheâs widely respected in the industry as one of the best and smartest there is. And through her work with Pinterest and other tech companies she is the perfect person to launch a global brand.â
James Holt
Role: Executive Director of the Archewell Foundation
USP: London-based political PR guru with an interest in diversity and charitable giving.
Background: Holt started his role as the Sussexesâ UK head of engagement and communications in September 2020, having previously worked as a reporter and in political PR for the Cabinet Office, Liberal Democrats, 10 Downing Street and Nick Clegg, then as senior communications officer for The Royal Foundation â making him one of Prince Harryâs longest-serving team members.
Following St-Laurentâs departure from the Archewell Foundation last year, Holt took over as executive director and relocated to Hollywood from his home in Clapham. He is now responsible for the Sussexesâ Netflix and Spotify deals, worth an estimated £100m.
Holt graduated in journalism at the University of Lincoln in 2003 describes himself on Twitter as a âBrit based in LAâ, an âoccasional runnerâ and âregular volunteerâ (he volunteered as director of communications for Pride in London from 2016-2017).
Ben Browning
Role: Head of Content for Archewell Productions and Archewell Audio
USP: Veteran film and TV producer behind current Oscar nominee Promising Young Woman
Background: Fellow Brit Browning is no stranger to working with big names. Last year the award-winning film producer was nominated for an Academy Award, BAFTA Award, and PGA Award for his work producing Emerald Fennellâs new film Promising Young Woman, starring Carey Mulligan. His work also includes the HBO limited series I Know This Much Is True starring Mark Ruffalo.
In his new role with the Sussexes, the Kingâs School Canterbury alumni is expected to be working closely with Netflix and Spotify as part of the Sussexesâ estimated £100m production deals, which he notes will have âunparalleled global reachâ.
âFrom the moment they shared their vision for Archewell as a global production company that will spotlight diverse voices and share uplifting stories, I knew I wanted to help with this unique opportunity,â Browning said last year in a statement after reportedly being recommended for the role by a mutual contact. âItâs a thrilling company to be starting.â
Genevieve Roth
Role: Senior Strategic Advisor to Archewell
USP: Creative expert with a passion for social impact who used to work for Hillary Clinton
Background: Roth might not have interviewed Hillary Clinton like Dayani but she did used to work for her, serving as the director of creative engagement for her presidential campaign in 2016.
The Alaska-born mother-of-one has held various creative positions since then, producing the Glamour Women of the Year Awards and taking editorial roles at publications including GQ, Esquire and Marie Claire Australia.
In 2020 she admitted that she realised she was ârife with internalised racismâ after marrying her black African-American husband Jordan Keith, the founder of a shopping app.
She is the founder of social impact organisation Invisible Hand, through which her role as Senior Strategic Advisor to Archewell came about. The organisation describes itself on Instagram as âa social impact and culture change agency that harnesses the power of creativity and storytelling to propel the world forwardâ.
Andrew Meyer
Role: Business manager
USP: Hollywood business mastermind behind the renewal of Meghanâs lifestyle website The Tig
Background: Meyer, who runs Beverly Hills-based business management firm Freemark Financial, is reportedly the mastermind behind the Duchessâ business endeavours - he was among the Sussexesâ wedding guests in 2018 and it was he who filed to renew the trademark for Meghanâs lifestyle site The Tig in September 2020.Â
Over the years, Meyerâs clients have included Ellen Pompeo, Anna Kendrick and Alexander Skarsgard and he was named one of Varietyâs âeliteâ business managers for 2020.Â
Meyer told Variety last year that he finds clients introspective in their strategies, âwhether that be real estate projects that they are working on or ethically based investing.â
The certified public accountant lives with his wife Stephanie in a six-bed, $6million mansion in LAâs Holmby Hills.
Rick Genow
Role: Lawyer
USP: Ben Kingsleyâs power attorney helping the Duchess with her legal affairs
Background: Harvard graduate Genow has long been one of the top attorneys in Hollywood - Â he is a founding partner of California law firm Stone, Genow, Smelkinson, Binder & Christopher and heâs represented actors including Sir Ben Kingsley and Greg Kinnear.Â
Power lawyer Genow has long been an adviser of the Duchess and is believed to have been kept on behind-the-scenes to help handle her legal affairs.Â