Devika Bulchandani's journey: From the streets of Amritsar to global advertising leadership

Devika Bulchandani, one of advertising’s prominent voices, has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer at WPP, following her tenure as Global CEO of Ogilvy. The move marks another milestone in a career that spans leadership roles across agencies.

Bulchandani joined Ogilvy in 2021 as Global President and CEO for North America before taking over as Global CEO in 2022. Prior to that, she built a long career at McCann Worldgroup, serving as President of McCann New York and President of McCannXBC, where she led Mastercard’s global ‘Priceless’ platform. Earlier stints included strategic leadership at McCann Worldgroup, where she rose to EVP and MD of Global Strategy.

Bulchandani described her time at Ogilvy as one of the most rewarding phases of her career, saying she felt “the luckiest person in the world to have the best job in the world as Ogilvy’s CEO,” and expressed pride in what the team had achieved together.

Speaking about her new chapter at WPP, she said she was energised by the “immense potential ahead” and believed that seamlessly bringing together WPP’s world-class capabilities would create “an invincible force, one that unlocks unparalleled value for our clients.”

Her trajectory has been defined not just by business results but by her commitment to what she often calls the 4Hs - Hunger, Hustle, Heart and Humility. As she once explained, “If you have hunger and hustle, you can also become a really hard culture. Without human emotions, ideas will not be able to tap into the hearts and minds of humanity.”

For her, success has never been about ambition alone. “It’s not where we want to go in life that matters; it’s how you do it. Where we want to go is to be the best agency. But every agency can say that, what’s really important to me is how we do that,” she once reflected, a philosophy that continues to shape her leadership as she steps into her new role at WPP.

As one of the most visible Indian women in global advertising, Bulchandani has been vocal about gender representation and responsibility. Reflecting on Hephzibah Pathak’s elevation as Executive Chairperson of Ogilvy India, in her past interview, she said, “Ogilvy has had a deep legacy of having women leaders. But I just want to say this, being an Indian woman myself, to see India being run by a woman makes me incredibly proud. And Hephzibah is one of my favourite people. One day, I even said to her, ‘Come on, move to the US.’”

She had said, “It's not just about us making it; we also have a responsibility to ensure that others are not just inspired but that we are actively making room for them.”

After Pathak, Bulchandani will now work alongside Cindy Rose, CEO of WPP, further strengthening women’s leadership within the company, as two prominent voices in the industry come together in collaboration.