Shyaire Ganglani
Associate Creative Director (Copywriter) at Ogilvy
Shyaire isn’t just a writer; she’s a poet, spoken word artist, and stand-up comic. Shy’s journey in slam poetry and comedy has taken her to the stages of Dubai, Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, Madrid and Melbourne. Her critically-acclaimed piece ‘In Defiance of Darls’ calling out racist and sexist cliches in advertising can be found in Mavens Mag Vol 2.
She has also featured on a few panels to champion diversity and inclusion in workplaces, including a pre-panel performance for Women of Colour Melbourne Gathering 2023 and key panelist at Mavens Magazine Launch Event. A keen activist in anti-racism, she has written for leading industry magazines and her work for climate change has been featured on the today show. Shy is working on her memoir and first poetry anthology this year.
Career & Background
What inspired you to do what you are doing now?
I kept wanting to write and copywriting seemed like a good way to do it. Someone told me about AWARD school, I did it and voila, here I am. It’s that simple, honestly. And I don’t want to make it sound any more complicated than that because it’s not.
What was your journey and where are you headed in your career right now?
I went from being social media intern in dubai to head of social media at a small agency in my early 20s. It was overwhelming but empowering all at once. When I moved to Australia and pursued copywriting, it felt debilitating. I felt like I’d lost all the work experience from Dubai and started from scratch. But I found my people and community and slowly made my way up again and carved out a new path for myself and even though it was difficult, I have no regrets doing it because it’s good to be here now. I think I’m headed for an Exec. Creative Director role in the next ten years but just as easily, I could drop off the face of the earth, buy a hut by a beach and write a couple of novels. Who knows.
Your favourite food for thought
Podcasts / Thought Leaders
- May Samali
- Brene Brown
- Glennon Doyle
What drives and inspires you
What are your core values?
- Authenticity
- Diversity
- Vulnerability
Who is your biggest inspiration and why?
The women around me.
You as a Mentor
Why have you decided to become a mentor?
I like helping women and people of colour and other queer folk through struggles I went through and giving them the hacks I wish I’d had. Also giving them a safe space to be heard so they don’t feel like they’re going a little insane and it’s just them.
What are the top 5 skills or qualities you bring to mentoring?
- Collaborative
- Confident
- Nurturing
- Open
- Passionate
Ready to apply?
The best time is right now. Take a chance – you never know where an Assisterhood mentor can take you.