Devika Bulchandani

Early Life and Education

Childhood in Amritsar and family background

Devika Bulchandani’s roots began in Amritsar, Punjab, India. She lived there until she turned 10. She grew up with three siblings in a big Punjabi family. Her younger sister, Priya Seth, later became a Bollywood cinematographer. Young Devika showed an adventurous spirit. She climbed trees and rode bikes too big for her. She never let gender norms hold her back. Her family gave her love and support, yet she still felt the weight of patriarchal structures. These early experiences sparked her drive to be independent and find her own identity.

Schooling at Welham Girls’ School

At Welham Girls’ School, a prestigious boarding school in Dehradun, Devika started to dream big. The school became her second home after she left Amritsar at age 10. She kept her rebellious spirit alive there. She refused to fit into society’s mold of what “good girls” should be. These years built the foundation that shaped how she would face life’s challenges.

College years at St. Xavier’s, Mumbai

After school, Devika chose St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai. She studied English and Psychology for three years. These subjects later proved valuable in her advertising career. Her time in college taught her about storytelling and human behavior. Mumbai’s vibrant culture opened her eyes to a world beyond Amritsar and Dehradun.

Master’s in Communications at USC

Devika’s next step took her to America. She earned her Master’s in Communications from the University of Southern California in 1991. USC Annenberg showed her “a different world”. She learned how entertainment could tackle serious social issues like domestic violence, poverty, and social justice. This knowledge shaped her future work in purpose-driven advertising campaigns.

Shaping the career path

Education became the cornerstone of Devika Bulchandani’s success. Her mix of literature, psychology, and communications gave her unique insights into consumer behavior and brand storytelling. Growing up in a patriarchal system made her skilled at diplomacy. She learned to “fight my way with diplomacy, which is critical to Indian culture”. Watching how her family treated girls differently pushed her to seek financial independence. Girls “didn’t get anything, they were supposed to get married”. Her classroom learning and real-life lessons worked together to prepare her to lead in global advertising.

Starting Out in Advertising

First job at Anderson & Lembke

The path to advertising came as a happy accident for Devika Bulchandani. She moved to New York in 1993 after her marriage and started working at a photocopy center. Her job paid INR 590.66 an hour to press buttons and make photocopies. Her lucky break into advertising came through a USC graduate school alumnus who convinced her to try Anderson & Lembke, a small New York agency. This connection changed her professional life’s direction, though she faced many challenges at first.

Cultural adjustment was a major challenge as Devika tried to find her way in American advertising. “I didn’t understand American culture, so I was at a disadvantage. I didn’t worry about me being different, I worried about me not knowing anything,” she admits. She felt out of place in an industry that depends on cultural references and social connections. “When I started in advertising I was one of the few Indian people and I would be one of the few non ‘White American’ or English/Australian people,” she remembers from those early days.

Joining McCann and early challenges

A key change happened in 1997 when Devika joined McCann’s strategy department, a company she lovingly called one with a “beautiful soul”. She started in strategy and quickly rose through McCann’s ranks. The first few years brought both cultural and professional hurdles.

Mentorship was vital to her growth at McCann. In a 2021 interview, she gave credit to two of her bosses who shaped her career path: “They were my wings. I always say there were two white men who made me who I am, because the last seven years were critical. If I had not been moved out of strategy, I would never have been where I am today”. Her life changed when McCann’s CEO asked about her future plans and told her, “You need to run something”.

Finding her passion for advertising

The advertising industry was a perfect match for Devika Bulchandani’s talents and interests. “Advertising fits my personality like a box, it’s a perfect combination of left brain and right brain. You use analytical skills but it’s a creative industry. There are no machines, it’s people-based and I love that side of the equation,” she explained. This mix of analytical thinking and creative expression became her professional home.

A bigger purpose drove her connection to the field. At first, she “wanted to do something for the world but was not quite sure of how to do it”. Advertising showed her countless ways to make social impact—this insight later inspired her groundbreaking campaigns. She grew to love how advertising could shape culture and tell stories about people’s lives.

Working for free and earning her first paycheck

Her dedication showed through sacrifice—Devika worked without pay for three months at Anderson & Lembke before showing her worth. This unpaid time tested her commitment and taught her industry basics. “I did it for three months for no pay and really liked it,” she recalled.

Her first paycheck was a milestone in her career. The account planning department offered her a position for approximately INR 1,518,848.11, and she was overjoyed. “No raise, nothing in my life has felt as good,” she said with a laugh. This financial independence meant more than professional success—it was a personal triumph, especially given her early views on gender inequality in financial matters.

Career Milestones and Iconic Campaigns

The Mastercard ‘Priceless’ campaign

Transformative creativity became Devika Bulchandani’s trademark through her work as the driving force behind Mastercard’s long-running ‘Priceless’ campaign. Her time at McCann saw this iconic campaign reshape Mastercard’s brand identity and rejuvenate the entire company. The campaign positioned Mastercard as a friendly company that stood against materialization and created an emotional bond with consumers. As one of the world’s most recognizable advertising campaigns, ‘Priceless’ showed Bulchandani’s talent to create messages that appeal across cultural boundaries and stand the test of time.

The ‘Fearless Girl’ movement

Bold statement-making reached new heights when Bulchandani spearheaded the groundbreaking ‘Fearless Girl’ campaign in 2017. The initiative placed a bronze statue of a young girl facing the New York Stock Exchange, with her hands confidently on her hips, challenging Wall Street’s charging bull symbol. The statue quickly exceeded its physical presence to become a global phenomenon and a powerful symbol for women in business. People’s imagination was captured by the interaction between these two works. The defiant young girl represented workplace gender diversity in what was traditionally a male-dominated space. Bulchandani’s core belief that advertising should make a positive effect on society drove this artistic statement.

True Name initiative for Mastercard

Inclusive innovation marked another highlight in Bulchandani’s career with ‘True Name’ launch in 2019. This state-of-the-art feature enabled transgender and non-binary people to display their chosen name on their Mastercard instead of their birth name. No other financial product had offered such a solution before this initiative, making it a pioneering feature in the industry. The campaign showcased Bulchandani’s dedication to using creativity for social causes while building brands—a sweet spot where she’s achieved her proudest accomplishments.

Recognition at Cannes Lions and other awards

Industry acclaim followed these innovative campaigns. ‘Fearless Girl’ became one of the most awarded campaigns in Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity’s history. Ogilvy earned the Network of the Year title at the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity under Bulchandani’s leadership. This recognition came after the agency created groundbreaking work including the “Shah Rukh Khan-My-Ad” for Cadbury Celebrations, which won the prestigious Titanium Lion.

Bulchandani’s achievements earned her several honors: NY Power Woman by Moves Magazine, US Advertising Agency Head of the Year by Campaign Magazine, Working Mother of the Year by She Runs It, and ADCOLOR Innovator. She has also won multiple 4As Jay Chiat Awards for strategic planning, which solidified her position as a creative visionary and successful business leader.

Leading Ogilvy: Vision and Impact

Becoming Ogilvy’s Global CEO

Historic ascension marked a significant milestone as Devika Bulchandani became Ogilvy’s Global Chief Executive Officer in September 2022. She made history as the first Indian-origin person to lead this prominent New York-based British advertising agency. Her role now covers the creative network’s business operations in 131 offices across 93 countries. The scope includes Advertising, Public Relations, Experience, Consulting, and Health units. She took over from Andy Main after his tenure as Global CEO. Before this role, she served as Global President and CEO of Ogilvy North America.

Her leadership style and team culture

Deliberate inclusion shapes Bulchandani’s leadership approach at Ogilvy. “I’ve been really deliberate in making sure I’m not trying to make Ogilvy into something else,” she emphasized. “I’m learning about the culture, the people, the brand and the heritage and bringing out the best to move it forward”. She builds a culture that welcomes debate and friction to spark new ideas in her quest for the network’s excellence. She values human connection above all and makes time to communicate with at least three clients daily through meetings or text messages.

Reviving Ogilvy’s creative legacy

Creative renaissance flourishes under Bulchandani’s leadership. “Ogilvy is about creativity,” she asserts. “The form of creativity can keep changing but it’s been in the DNA of this company long before I got here”. Her vision has brought remarkable results. Ogilvy earned the title of Cannes Lions’ Network of the Year, CLIOS Network of the Year in 2023, and topped WARC Creative 100’s rankings in 2022 and 2023. WPP’s chief executive Mark Read called Bulchandani “a force of nature” who believes strongly in great creative work’s power.

Client-first approach and global expansion

Winning strategy drives Bulchandani’s client philosophy. She states that winning big global clients remains “absolutely priority number one” for Ogilvy, as large marketers look to combine their business with a single agency network. This approach has drawn new clients like Zippos, Absolut Vodka, Enterprise Holdings and Pernod Ricard for PR, creative, social media and brand strategy. She champions Ogilvy’s single P&L structure: “Clients need multiple solutions. The epiphany for us is we need to be organized in the most agile and fluid manner to deliver those”.

Role of women in Ogilvy’s leadership

Pioneering precedent shines through Ogilvy’s diverse leadership team. The agency stands unique with women holding both CEO and chief creative officer positions. Female leadership runs deep throughout the organization. The core team includes Global Chief Financial Officer Stacey Ryan-Cornelius, Global Chief People Officer Maria O’Keeffe, EMEA CEO Patou Nuytemans, Global Chief Client Officer Sophie Hoffstetter, and Global PR Chief Julianna Richter. Bulchandani recognizes the work needed for hiring and building a pipeline. She wants Ogilvy to aim for “exponential as well as incremental impact” in diversity and inclusion.

Representation, Recognition, and Personal Life

Being a woman of color in global leadership

Pioneering presence sets Devika Bulchandani apart as the first woman of color to lead a global agency network after becoming Ogilvy’s Global CEO in September 2022. She believes in creativity, inclusivity, and making a difference, with a special focus on gender equality and workplace diversity. As an Indian-origin executive who broke barriers in advertising, she knows how hard it can be to speak up. “To have the courage to say no, that is wrong, that is inappropriate” stands out as one of the toughest parts of her leadership. In spite of that, her groundbreaking position shows how far diversity has come in advertising’s top ranks.

Awards and honors received

Prestigious recognition has shaped Bulchandani’s path to success. New York Women in Communications (NYWIC) honored her at the Matrix Awards in October 2022 for “making a difference, building community, and inspiring the next generation of female leaders”. She earned titles like NY Power Woman from New York Moves Magazine, US Advertising Agency Head of the Year from Campaign Magazine, Working Mother of the Year from She Runs It, and ADCOLOR Innovator. She also received several 4As Jay Chiat Awards for strategic planning and praise from the National Breast Cancer Coalition for raising awareness.

Devika Bulchandani family and personal values

Family foundation lies at Bulchandani’s core. She shares her life with husband Ashwin Bulchandani and their two children: son Arhaan, 23, and daughter Anya, 17. The couple started their American life in 1994 right after getting married. She enjoys various hobbies that give her a balanced point of view beyond her work life. Her family stands behind her success, though she remains the only one in her immediate family living abroad.

Her role in Times Up Advertising and ERA Coalition

Advocacy leadership defines much of Bulchandani’s work. She helped establish Times Up Advertising to build fair and safe workplace cultures. She sits on the ERA Coalition board, showing her dedication to gender equality. She also serves on boards like the Ad Council, the 4A’s, and the Advertising Club. These roles show her belief that advertising can create positive social change – something she sees happening “at the intersection of the social causes she champions and brand-building efforts”.

Balancing motherhood and leadership

Work-life integration brings challenges that Bulchandani tackles head-on. “There’s no easy answer. You have to figure it out moment by moment,” she says about managing executive duties and family life. She pushes back against unrealistic standards: “I don’t believe in balance. It puts too much pressure on women”. She and her husband raise their children “to be enlightened individuals unafraid to change the world for better”. She Runs It named her “Working Mother of the Year” in 2017, and she speaks openly about leading while parenting, noting that “as working mothers, women have to juggle many balls”.

Key Takeaways

Devika Bulchandani’s journey from Amritsar to Ogilvy’s corner office demonstrates how determination, cultural adaptability, and purpose-driven leadership can break barriers in global advertising.

• Cultural challenges become competitive advantages: Bulchandani transformed her initial disadvantage of not understanding American culture into diplomatic skills that proved critical for global leadership success.
• Purpose-driven campaigns create lasting impact: Her iconic work on Mastercard’s “Priceless,” “Fearless Girl,” and “True Name” campaigns shows how advertising can drive social change while building powerful brands.
• Diverse leadership drives creative renaissance: Under her leadership, Ogilvy became Network of the Year at Cannes Lions, proving that inclusive leadership teams produce exceptional creative results.
• Breaking barriers requires strategic persistence: As the first woman of color to lead a global agency network, she emphasizes learning organizational culture before implementing change.
• Work-life integration over perfect balance: She advocates for moment-by-moment decision-making rather than pursuing unrealistic work-life balance, especially for working mothers in leadership roles.

Her story illustrates that authentic leadership combined with creative excellence and social consciousness can transform both individual careers and entire organizations on a global scale.

Also Read: Journey of Birbal Sahni (paleobotanist)

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