Growing up in a large patriarchal family in Amritsar, India, Devika Bulchandani learned at a young age how to use her communication skills to navigate a complex network of relationships to get what she wanted. 

In her 30-year marketing career, Bulchandani has used that understanding of human connections to develop campaigns that simultaneously build brands and drive social change for women. The mother of two was the driving force behind campaigns like Fearless Girl, which used a statue of a young girl facing off against the iconic bull sculpture on Wall Street to advocate for more female representation on corporate boards, and Dove’s CROWN Act, which prohibits hair-based discrimination against Black women and girls.  

Now, as the CEO of Ogilvy, one of the world’s largest global marketing and advertising firms, she oversees advertising, public relations and consulting across 124 offices in 88 countries. And she is still relying on the communication skills she learned as a young girl in Punjab.

“Some of these principles of marketing to me are the principles of being human and relating to each other and the world,” she said. “I did grow up in a really patriarchal world…and I had to use my seat. I think it's a travesty when we're given a seat at some table, and we don't use that seat in a way to make change at many levels.”

In her current role, that means using her power to place more women in leadership than at any other agency on in the world. Bulachandani seeks to create change from the corporate to the governmental sectors. 

Having been raised in a privileged family where sons inherit the family business and daughters are expected to marry and become housewives, Bulchandani bristled at being told what “good girls” can and can’t do.

She left India to attend graduate school and she said it was her time at USC Annenberg that exposed her to “a different world.” While earning her master’s degree in communication management, she learned how entertainment could carry deeper messages, like how Mexican soap operas influence female viewers on topics ranging from domestic violence to poverty and social justice.

“It's a very personal thing for me to use creativity to change policy,” she said. “My gender fight comes from a very deep-rooted place.”

The New York City resident doesn’t just rely on her insights as a woman to create effective marketing. After years of leaning into her adopted American culture, she has increasingly put her Indian nationality at the forefront of her professional identity. Her Indian sensibilities include hosting professional dinners at her home instead of restaurants and wearing Indian rather than western clothing to industry events.

This evolution of her personal brand is a strength as it demonstrates her ability to understand the nuances of target audiences.

“I was really focused on being a woman leader,” she said. “Now I'm really focused on being an Indian woman leader, bringing my Indianness back to the forefront of who I am.”

Despite having always presented herself with confidence, the 55-year-old said it has only been within the past five years that she has overcome her sense of imposter syndrome.

“I don't have any of that anxiety,” she said, “and thank God for that. Because at some point in your life, you've got to make peace with yourself.”

Her career advice for other women? If you want to achieve something big, break it into small, manageable pieces. And if you have a goal, verbalize it to yourself. Everything else comes down to effort.

“There is no shortcut to the hard work,” she said.