All you need to know about Devika Bulchandani

Amritsar-born Devika Bulchandani never aspired to be in the ad business, but was definitely meant to be here. Her rendezvous with the industry started off as an unexpected trial, but over the past two odd decades, grew up into a journey that the aspiring ad world natives could look up to. So stealth were her moves in this professional journey that some anonymous industry leader called her the most underrated planner of the year in AdWeek’s ‘The No Shit List To End All Lists’ in 2007, and today she stands tall in front of the world as the Global CEO of creative behemoth Ogilvy.

As Piyush Pandey says, “She is a very competent personality and has had a phenomenal track record. She is a people’s person and believes in moving together; something that Ogilvy firmly believes in. Her work is borderless and so is her attitude towards various departments in the company. That’s worth celebrating. And she, being a global citizen from India, taking such a prestigious position is obviously a matter of pride for us.”

But what is it that makes Dev, as she is popularly referred to in the advertising industry, so phenomenal? Here’s everything you need to know about Bulchandani and her journey in the advertising world:

Who is Devika Bulchandani

Born in a large family of Amritsar in the late 1960s, Bulchandani grew up with four siblings. And from a very young age, she had the great American dream in her eyes. Last year, she told Vogue in an interview that watching American TV shows as a young girl, she aspired to be characters who were “tired” at the end of a workday.

Therefore, she moved to the US as a student of Master’s in Communication course at the University of Southern California in 1991. Prior to that, she had done her schooling from Welham Girls’ School in Dehradun and bachelor’s from Xavier’s in Mumbai, where she studied English and Psychology. In 1993, she got married and settled in the US with her family.

Journey in the Ad World

Bulchandani wanted to do something for the world but was not quite sure of how to do it. Dealing with the cultural shock in America did not make it any easier for her. However, an alum from her graduate school in California prompted her to try her hand at advertising. And that changed the course of her life, as she fell in love with the profession for its endless possibilities & social impact.

She started off as an unpaid resource at a small agency named Anderson and Lembke and was soon offered a position in the account planning department. In 1997, she moved to McCann’s where she spent around 24 years of her professional life, rising steadily across ranks.

Bulchandni initially joined the strategy department and was made the EVP Managing Director of Global Strategy in 2012. Two years later, she was named the President of McCannXBC, a specialised unit to handle Mastercard business that she also helped in establishing.

Her exceptional work for the brand and prior professional merits made her the President of McCann New York in 2017. Under her leadership, McCann New York enjoyed a period of both substantial growth and industry recognition that encompasses top creative, effectiveness and innovation awards. In 2019, McCann was named the Most Creatively Effective Agency Network in the US by the Effie Awards and was honoured as Agency of the Year at the recent Clio, LIA, and Epica awards.

Meaningful Work

Bulchandani always wanted to do something that could improve society and leave a lasting impact. And advertising gave her ample opportunities to realise that dream of hers. She has donea ton of work be it for gender equality, LGBTQ rights, or the climate.

Amongst the most impactful work of hers is the ‘Fearless Girl’ campaign that promotes female leadership and gender diversity to encourage companies to recruit women to their boards. Introduced as a bronze statue next to the wall steers iconic ‘charging bull’ in 2017, the campaign went on to travel across several countries. The campaign stands among the most awarded pieces of work across several ad festivals including the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.

Another beautiful campaign led by Bulchandani is MasterCard’s ‘True Name’, first-of-its-kind feature launched in 2019 that empowers transgender and non-binary people to display their chosen name on their Mastercard.

She is also a founding member of Times Up Advertising, which is committed to transforming the advertising industry and addressing the harassment and discrimination that harms its workspaces and stifles creative potential of the impacted. 

Honours and Accolades

Next month Bulchandani will be honored by New York Women in Communications (NYWIC) at the 2022 Matrix Awards, which honours women who are making a difference, building community, and inspiring the next generation of female leaders in their field. She has previously received a range of other honours including, 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 been the recipient of multiple 4As Jay Chiat Awards for strategic planning. Bulchandani serves on the board of the ERA Coalition. She is also a founding member of Times Up Advertising and serves on the boards of the Ad Council, the 4A’s, and the Advertising Club.