NEW YORK, USA // Devika Bulchandani was named President of McCann North America in December 2019.

Devika has served as President of McCann New York, the lead office of McCann Worldgroup, since 2017. Under her leadership, McCann New York has 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 U.S. by the Effie Awards, the most prestigious global award that measures the effectiveness of advertising on the bottom line of global marketers.

In addition, McCann New York in 2019 was named to Advertising Age’s “A-List” for the fourth consecutive year. McCann and its client, Mastercard, were singled out with a special “5 for 50” Effie Award that recognizes the five most effective and influential global marketing campaigns of the past 50 years.

Over the past three years, with Devika as President, McCann New York won a total of 70 Cannes Lions; McCann New York was named the #1 most effective individual agency at the 2018 North American Effies, and “Fearless Girl” won the 2018 North American Grand Effie trophy, among many other regional and global honors.

Devika joined McCann New York’s strategy department in 1997 and played a key role in transforming “Priceless,” the Mastercard advertising concept introduced by McCann in 1997, into a global business platform encompassing a wide range of digital and experiential marketing programs.

She rose quickly through the agency ranks and co-founded McCann XBC, the McCann Worldgroup agency unit dedicated to Mastercard, where she was named President. She then was promoted to Managing Director of McCann NY and in 2017, Devika was named President of McCann New York.

Devika is deeply devoted to social causes that promote equality, diversity and inclusiveness. She is a founding member of Times Up Advertising, where she has tirelessly championed equality for women in advertising — particularly for women of color.

In March 2019, ahead of International Women’s Day, Devika brought together her industry peers for a discussion in partnership with NYWICI, AAF and Bloomberg Media that featured the pioneering women of Madison Avenue.

In 2017, Devika, then MD of McCann New York, played a key role in the launching of the Fearless Girl statue, placed on Wall Street on the eve of International Women’s Day 2017. What was conceived as a one-week installation entered the cultural lexicon, became a beloved icon and of women’s equality, serves as a must-see New York City tourist attraction and is one of the most awarded campaigns in the history of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Devika has won multiple 4As Jay Chiat Awards for Excellence in Strategic Planning; was honored as a “Working Mother of the Year” by She Runs It; and was honored with an AdColor “Innovator Award,” an accolade presented to professionals of multicultural background that is sponsored by leading industry associations.

Devika has volunteered her time for numerous industry/community projects, including work with the Ad Council, the industry’s official organization that oversees pro-bono work, on issues such as childhood and adult obesity, as well as parental viewing control.

Devika and her husband live in New York City with their son and daughter, whom they are bringing up, respectively, to be an enlightened man who will champion strong women and a strong woman who will break barriers.