#7 Ananda, The Empath
The PR woman who made community her calling.
Ananda Shakespeare is an empath, eldest daughter, helper, achiever and a recovering people pleaser. She is also a DJ and has partied with Madonna. To the media community in Dubai, Ananda is definitely all that and more. Her mark is both quiet and unmistakable.
It all began as a surprise move from London to Dubai to work for TimeOut. As a storied journalist, Ananda quickly climbed through three promotions in four years, even getting a standing ovation on her last day there. After many years of late nights and hard work, just as Ananda was hanging her journalistic hat to take a pause, read a little and travel a lot, she accidentally started a Communications Agency representing one client that turned into two and more.
There are some names that feel almost too fitting for the life that follows and Ananda Shakespeare is definitely one of them.
Her Story
Ananda’s story almost begins in motion. She grew up moving between towns across the UK, the eldest of two sisters in a home led by a single mother. Much of her childhood unfolded in the space between love and uncertainty. “I’m used to picking up on the state of mind of people, because that’s what you do as a child, you have to watch out. You have to safeguard yourself. I had to parent the parent,” she says.
Those early years taught Ananda some essential skills. Learning how to read a room before entering it, the ability to listen deeply, and understand people quickly. She learnt empathy almost by necessity, becoming the steady one, the watcher, the helper. Those instincts that were formed in the quiet corners of a chaotic childhood would later become her greatest strength.
From a very early age, Ananda knew she wanted to be a journalist, in part inspired by her stepdad who was a Fleet Street journalist. She never planned on leaving London. She had a charmed life, after all. Working as a journalist, she was invited almost nightly to champagne launches, private parties in stately homes, record label parties and more. “I worked very, very long hours for not a lot of pay,” she reminisces. Ever the achiever, she straddled two distinctive careers, DJing after hours after many long nights spent at the office.
In 2015, all the years of late nights caught up with her and her body demanded rest and restorative rhythm. “Most people have taken a career break to travel or have babies. I’m 20 years in and I’ve never taken a break. So that’s what I did,” she says. A bold, inspiring move in a culture that confuses exhaustion with success. But she did not rest for very long, doing PR for a client for over a decade until their business was sold. During her year of rest, she was also headhunted for a telecoms firm. Ananda never intended to start a business but one client turned into two and it snowballed from there.
“I worked as head of content for three and a half years. It was meant to be a 12 month contract. While I was doing that, my business was growing on the side. I wasn’t intentionally growing or having a side hustle, I just was.”
Her Impact
Today, Shakespeare Comms has a team strength of seven and an enviable client roster. Her impact stretches far beyond the clients she goes above and beyond for. She has become a quiet architect of Dubai’s creative community, building a bridge between journalists, entrepreneurs, and small businesses who might otherwise never cross paths. The monthly Media Coffee Mornings she sponsors have become a fixture in the city’s PR and publishing circles, offering a rare space where freelancers, editors, and founders can meet without pretense or pressure.
What began as a simple idea to connect people has evolved into a network of over 500 professionals who collaborate, share opportunities, and lift each other up. It is, in many ways, an antidote to the city’s reputation for competition. Her WhatsApp media group functions like a living directory of Dubai’s storytellers, a space built on trust and generosity rather than transactions.
Ananda’s impact also lies in her refusal to gatekeep. After two decades in media, she still mentors young professionals, shares job openings, and champions other women in communications, even those technically considered “competitors.” In a field where self- promotion is often prized over service, she leads with something rarer: community.
Her Plans
“I’m working really hard. I’m building a business. We’ve got six or seven people in the firm now. And I’m building the business with the intention to sell it”
In not so many words, Ananda does not plan to stop. She’s working harder than ever with no breaks coming up.
Her Advice
Ananda’s advice for women building something of their own is refreshingly real:
Work is constant, but so is purpose. “There are no days off,” she says, not as a warning but as a truth. Building something meaningful means wearing every hat until you can afford to pass one on. The reward comes later, when the pieces start to fit together.
Delegate early, not late. The first person she hired was a bookkeeper, and it changed everything. “Numbers aren’t my strength, so I found someone who loved them.” That single decision saved her thousands and gave her time to focus on storytelling and relationships. Letting go of control, she says, is not weakness but strategy.
Keep showing up. Networking is not about collecting contacts; it’s about building
community. Through her Media Coffee Mornings and WhatsApp group, Ananda reminds others that no business grows in isolation. “You have to show up. For events, for people, for yourself.”
Good things take time. “Things aren’t transactional, things aren’t immediate, it’s a cumulative effort. The amazing pipeline that Shakespeare Communications has comes from all of that hard work of turning up, networking authentically, delivering and helping others.”
For Common Good
Every story feels more complete with a glimpse into the little things that shape someone’s world. Here are Ananda’s forever favorites.
I’m currently reading ‘Dirtbag Billionaire’ by David Gelles. The story of the leader who built the outdoor clothes company Patagonia, became a billionaire and then gave it all away. Published by Simon & Schuster.
Latest film I loved is Swiped about Whitney Wolfe Herd, the founder of dating app Bumble. Her story is remarkable and as well as her rise to success, details the sexism she dealt with along the way
Latest listen is Lily Allen’s new album West End Girl, an autobiographical art piece about the end of her marriage. The break up album details the betrayal of her ex-husband David Harbour.
TV show, I’ve recently watched 11 seasons of Shameless, an American comedy series about a dysfunction family living in poverty in Chicago.
My favourite café for chilling is SEVA, it’s fully vegan and has a peaceful garden. There’s an attached crystal and alternative shop, wellness studio and healing sessions.