Staff Reporters
Aug 18, 2020

Women to Watch 2020: Priyanka Borah, Dentsu Webchutney

Representing a new generation of women leaders, Borah balances pragmatism with principle to nurture talent and move business ahead.

Women to Watch 2020: Priyanka Borah, Dentsu Webchutney
SEE ALL OF THE 2020 WOMEN TO WATCH
Exceptional female talent from the APAC marcomms industry 

Priyanka Borah

Vice president
Dentsu Webchutney
India

Fearless, empathetic and nurturing are the qualities used to describe Priyanka Borah by those who know her well and those who’ve just met her.  These traits, colleagues say, come innately to her and represent a new style of generational leadership bent on doing what’s right for everyone instead of merely following rules.

A young achiever, Borah has adeptly ascended from an advertising career straight out of college to the leadership ranks all within a decade, serving in recent years as a brand director at Leo Burnett before joining Dentsu Webchutney in 2017. It was here that Borah’s career dovetailed with a rising creative agency that has become one of India’s most-awarded at Cannes and Spikes, taking care of critical clients like Google and Uber while helping to secure new wins like Twitter and Youtube. Borah’s business grew 183% on year in 2019-2020, the quickest pace of growth in the agency’s 21-year history.  Her team now manages the most annual client revenue by far among all Dentsu Webchutney teams and also keeps the highest client retention rate.

Borah’s understanding of young talent and their motivations is one of her biggest strengths, say colleagues, as her management style balances pragmatism with principle, delivering either straight talk or a gentle nudge when needed most. As one of the leaders of Dentsu Aegis Network’s women’s council, Borah is now passing her managerial finesse on to other women, training them for new leadership responsibilities, just as she advises her clients to develop more meaningful ways to engage around social issues like women’s rights, mental health and environmental sustainability.  

Just as impressive as her agency role, if not more, is Borah’s side-hustle, remotely running a handloom manufacturing facility that trains and boards more than 70 indigenous women, taking their artisanal craft to over 65 global cities. It’s more than clear what a difference Borah makes to those around her.

SEE ALL OF THE 2020 WOMEN TO WATCH
Exceptional female talent from the APAC marcomms industry 

 

Related Articles

Just Published

5 hours ago

Cannes Lions Creative Strategy jury president eyes ...

CANNES LIONS JURY PRESIDENT Q&A: Campaign speaks with Publicis Groupe's SEA CEO Amrita Randhawa to understand what brands and agencies should be aware of in their entries.

6 hours ago

Women to Watch Greater China 2023: Shuang Xu, BCW

From delivering growth to winning awards to transforming the business and creating new tools and capabilities while nurturing teams, Xu has basically done it all, leading by example.

6 hours ago

The grades are in: Agency Report Cards debut Monday

We assessed 30 APAC agency networks—in great detail. The in-depth report cards on their 2022 performance in growth, innovation, creativity and effectiveness, DEI and sustainability, and overall management quality, will be revealed on Monday.

6 hours ago

TikTok isn’t a saint, but it shouldn’t be seen as ...

Campaign's tech and media editor shares his thoughts on TikTok's CEO Shou Zi Chew's more than five-hour-long testimony in front of the US Congress.