Harshada Menon is a Group Creative Director at DDB India. She started her career at FCB India before moving to Ogilvy.
In 2018, she was one of the 20 women across the world, chosen for the Cannes Lions See It Be It program. She was also on the jury for the first ever Gerety Awards, awards judged by women creative leaders across the world. With an experience of over 14 years, Harshada’s work has won recognition, nationally and internationally.
Apart from being a creative leader, Harshada is a mother of a five-year old girl. She believes that the industry needs more mothers in leadership positions to make ideas more relevant and to give younger women role models to look up to.

Why are you into Advertising?
While I got into advertising by accident, I choose to stay in it by choice. Where else does one get to work on potato chips on Monday, whisky on Tuesday, a bank on Thursday and condoms on Friday? Every day brings in something new. Something challenging. Something that needs solving. The unpredictability is what I’m here for. It’s exciting and fearsome, to tell a memorable story, build a brand and sell a product, all at once. Advertising gives you an opportunity to be part of culture, or make it even. Today, advertising is so much more than just advertising. It’s equal part technology, innovation and creativity. All this is just mind-blowingly exciting for me to stick around.

Did you attend school for fine art or design or Communications?
Yes. I complete my Bachelor’s in Mass Media and then went on to study advertising at the Mudra Institute of Communications.

Farzeen is a full time illustrator and graphic designer, and part time bird nerd and hoola hooper. You will often find her lurking around the Jaipur Literature Festival under the guise of Design manager, hoping to bump into a beloved author for whom she can illustrate! If she’s not working, she’s most likely lost in her world of bird watching.

Why are you a Graphic Designer?
I feel I’m best able to express my thoughts through visuals. I am always telling stories in great detail and hoping I can create for you a picture as vivid as I see. Graphic design and illustration seem to be a default choice.

Did you attend school for fine art or design?
I attended a Diploma course for Fine Arts over the weekends while I was studying Sociology in Delhi University. Right after, my fingers and mind were itching to learn more art and find the right avenue to be able to express my creativity. So I attended Srishti School of Art Design and Technology for Visual Communication.