Women to Watch 2020: Priyanka Borah, Dentsu Webchutney

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.