Ziyana Kotadia is a Calgarian gender justice advocate and writer. As the Strategic Communications & Public Relations Specialist at Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence, Ziyana applies social justice theories and principles to drive knowledge mobilization projects focused on research findings, policy recommendations, legislative reforms, and practice changes to prevent gender-based violence. Her professional experience is at the intersection of research, public affairs, and advocacy, where she has mobilized national and regional projects on gender-based violence prevention, menstrual equity, and addressing sexism in Canadian electoral politics.
Armed with an MPhil in Multi-Disciplinary Gender Studies from the University of Cambridge, Ziyana was recognized as one of Alberta’s 2024 Top 30 Under 30 and a 2023 Rising Star National Finalist with the Women Empowerment Awards. She has served in several leadership roles across not-for-profits, including as the inaugural Chair of the Safe Campus Coalition, Vice-President University Affairs for Western University’s $30M students’ union, and co-author of the “Our Campus, Our Safety” violence-prevention national action plan representing 1.2M+ students across Canada.
Ziyana is currently an advisor to Senator Marilou McPhedran via the Canadian Council of Young Feminists, the Governance Chair for Equal Voice Calgary, sits on the Boards of Directors for Plan International Canada and Swallow-a-Bicycle Theatre, and recently represented Canadian youth as an official delegate with Young Diplomats of Canada to the 2024 United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.