Superwomen The Pulse Magazine

The Pulse’s new Superwomen edition questions the rules of the game

This edition explores the challenges women continue to face in advertising and marketing, from negotiating likability and leadership bias to navigating toxic work cultures and the ever-present pressure of perfection. On the cover, it features a compelling conversation with Swati Bhattacharya, who unpacks the emotional truth behind creativity and the power of wearing the cape only when you choose to.

author-image
Social Samosa
Updated On
New Update
The pulse magazine fi

In an industry often defined by legacy systems and loud voices, a wave of determined women is quietly and powerfully reshaping the landscape of advertising and marketing. These Superwomen are not just occupying leadership roles, they are reimagining what those roles look like. With grit, empathy, and unapologetic vision, they are building brands, challenging conventions, and creating space where more women can thrive.

With Superwomen Edition, our intention is clear: to celebrate women's milestones not just as achievements, but as reminders. Reminders that every pitch cracked, every idea sold, every campaign deserves to be recognised. That it’s okay to say “I did that.” It’s necessary to take up space, take due credit, and take pride in your work. 

To bring this vision to life, the edition delves into both the barriers that hold women back and the people and possibilities that continue to push them forward.

Take, for instance, the journey of Swati Bhattacharya, the creative powerhouse and former CCO of FCB Ulka. She doesn’t write ads, she writes truths. She talks to Mrinil Mathur Rajwani, Editor in Chief and Managing Partner, Social Samosa Network, about how her work reframes emotion as a strength, not a soft spot, in marketing. Swati’s legacy is not just in the campaigns she led, but in the questions she forced an entire industry to confront: Who gets seen? Who gets heard? Who gets to lead?

Yet the road ahead remains steep. Women in the industry continue to battle systemic challenges, be it underrepresentation in leadership, the constant negotiation of likability versus authority, or the invisible labour of managing perception. The numbers paint a telling picture. According to recent data, women make up less than 20% of C-suite roles in advertising and media in India. The drop-off from mid-management to the top tier is sharp. As Umma Saini, CCO at Schbang, puts it, “Leadership still comes wrapped in masculine packaging.” The invisible tax of being a woman leader is very real, and very costly.

And the inequality is not just confined to leadership tables.

In 'Can You Please Smile More?,' Karuna Sharma, Associate Editor, dives deep into the emotional and professional toll of gendered leadership expectations that women continue to face in boardrooms across the country. The story sheds light on how women leaders are often told to smile more, tone it down, or play nice, while feedback is rarely given to their male counterparts. But instead of conforming, they are challenging these outdated norms, pushing back against biases that equate assertiveness with aggression and empathy with weakness. This is not just about fighting stereotypes; it’s about rewriting what leadership looks like. From boardroom dynamics to personal reckonings, the women in this story speak candidly about reclaiming their voice, power, and presence, on their own terms.

Experts

Sometimes, the most powerful stories continue in gestures, decisions, and quiet acts of belief. In 'Women Who Make Space,' Pranali Tawte captures these layered moments, where leadership isn’t always loud, but always intentional. The piece threads together voices of women in the A&M industry who reshape power structures not with declarations, but with daily resolve. Through overlooked credits, behind-the-scenes mentorship, and silent acts of solidarity, they carve space not just for themselves, but for others still finding their footing. It's not about making noise, it’s about making room.

Experts

A movement doesn't always begin with strategy, it sometimes starts with a room full of women, a spark of shared experience, and the collective will to rewrite the rules. In The Power of Collective Action, Harshal Thakur explores how the She Directs Ads collective is reshaping India’s advertising industry from behind the lens. What began as an informal meet-up has since evolved into a force that challenges stereotypes, champions pay parity, and makes space for women in genres historically gatekept by men. From gritty sports films to sleek automotive ads, their presence is rewriting not only what we see on screen, but also who gets to tell the story.

Experts:

The allocation of client accounts in advertising often follows an unwritten script, one that subtly shapes careers and creative output. In 'It Is All Accounted For,' Sneha Medda delves into the unspoken hierarchy within advertising account management, where gender frequently influences who gets to lead which types of clients. The piece reveals a pattern where 'strategic' or 'high-investment' accounts in sectors like automotive, tech, and crypto are commonly assigned to men, while women tend to manage beauty, parenting, or lifestyle brands. This subtle sorting, often justified by 'comfort' or 'fit,' perpetuates a cycle that limits opportunities and reinforces outdated norms. While this system can stifle careers and narrow creative perspectives, the article also highlights a growing awareness and the efforts of women breaking these molds, calling for conscious leadership, transparency, and the celebration of diverse talent to truly level the playing field and enrich brand storytelling.

Experts:

The communications industry's relentless pace often forces talented women out. In 'Building an Agency That Work for Women's Lives,' Rekha Rao speaks with Shamita Islur about launching OON, her women’s collective in Integrated Marketing Communications. OON aims to counter this trend by uniting experienced independent professionals, offering them flexible, supportive opportunities and clients access to specialized expertise. This innovative model seeks to build sustainable careers and prove that an agency built around women's realities can effectively retain talent and deliver impactful results.

This journey would not have been possible without examining how advertising has spoken to women, often reductively for decades. In 'Marketing at Women,' Joe Sinha reflects on the shift from 1950s portrayals of dutiful housewives to today’s empowerment narratives. He highlights how campaigns like L’Oréal’s 1971 'Because you’re worth it' marked a cultural turning point, moving from male-centric messaging to women speaking for themselves. Tracing this evolution through the lens of feminism, social change, and rising female agency, Sinha explores how tonality transformed, from patronising to participatory, yet notes that insecurity still sells. The piece calls for more authentic, inclusive storytelling beyond surface-level progress.

We end this focus on workplace dynamics with Vandana Das’s powerful piece, 'Can You Look At Me When You Talk, Sir?'. Das confronts the painful reality of women being unheard and unseen professionally, despite their acclaimed empathy and intelligence. She describes how their ideas are often dismissed or appropriated, and calls for systemic changes, structured discussions, clear attribution, amplification, and true male allyship, to ensure all voices are genuinely valued, not just grudgingly acknowledged.

At The Pulse, we remain committed to telling stories that matter, stories that don’t just inform, but ignite. Our Superwomen Edition 2025 isn’t about putting women on a pedestal. It’s about meeting them where they are, in boardrooms, brainstorms, home offices, edit bays, and strategy decks, and recognising the many ways they show up, speak up, and reshape the future.

Let these stories stay with you. Because when women lead, industries evolve. And when women are seen, everyone wins.

Download your copy here.

 

Intersectionality Swati Bhattacharya Tista Sen women in leadership