Ogilvy has appointed Parul Budhiraja as Executive Vice President, bringing an experienced brand and marketing leader back to the agency side after a period working as a fractional CMO and strategic consultant.

Parul announced the move on LinkedIn, describing it as the start of a new position at Ogilvy. Her appointment follows more than two years of independent consulting, during which she advised organisations on brand strategy, marketing, growth and business transformation.

Returning to the Agency Side

Parul's move to Ogilvy marks a return to agency leadership after her independent consulting chapter.

From April 2024 through September 2026, she worked as an independent Fractional CMO and Strategic Consultant, advising startups and SMEs across areas including brand strategy, marketing, growth and business transformation. Her consulting work included brand and portfolio transformation, repositioning and marketing strategy.

The experience adds a consulting perspective to a career that has largely spanned advertising, brand building and marketing leadership.

Experience Across Cheil India and Contract India

Before moving into independent consulting, Parul spent close to three years at Cheil India, where she served as General Manager from 2021 to 2024.

At Cheil, her work included strategic planning, sales and marketing initiatives, live commerce and community and creator programmes for Samsung's premium smartphone and wearables portfolio. Her work also included developing a live-commerce channel that reportedly generated around ₹50 crore in its first year.

Earlier, she spent nearly six years at Contract India, where she served as Vice President and worked across brands including Bata and Droom. Her responsibilities included brand rejuvenation, campaigns, sponsorships and product launches.

Building Brands Through Strategy and Execution

Parul's career has brought together brand strategy and commercial execution across different stages of the customer and brand journey.

At Contract India, her work on Bata included initiatives aimed at rejuvenating the brand and strengthening its market presence. At Cheil India, her remit expanded into digital commerce, strategic planning and community and creator-led marketing.

That combination of strategic thinking and execution provides relevant experience for her new leadership role at Ogilvy.

Bringing a Consulting Perspective to Ogilvy

Her two years as a fractional CMO and strategic consultant have added another dimension to that experience.

Working independently gave Parul exposure to organisations looking at marketing not simply as a communications function, but as part of broader questions around growth, positioning, transformation and business strategy.

That perspective now comes back into an agency environment, where the ability to connect brand thinking with business challenges remains central to client relationships.

A New Chapter at Ogilvy

Parul's appointment brings her experience across advertising, consulting, brand strategy and marketing into Ogilvy's leadership team.

Her return to the agency side also comes after a period of working closely with businesses on their marketing and transformation challenges, giving her an additional perspective on the expectations organisations place on their agency partners.

At Ogilvy, Parul will begin the next chapter of her career within one of the advertising industry's best-known global networks.

About Ogilvy

Ogilvy is a global advertising, marketing and communications network founded by David Ogilvy. The agency operates across advertising, brand strategy, public relations, customer engagement and related marketing disciplines, working with brands across markets and industries.