I am a writer, thinker, an award-winning creative strategist and an immigrant from India. I am currently the VP, Strategy Director at DDB, Chicago.

However, one title is too contained for my ever-growing interests. In a career spanning 15 years across two continents, I have worked with brands like Google, State Farm and most recently the US Army. I believe in leading with empathy and making deep connections with people and am a passionate advocate for DE&I initiatives. In the work I do, I strive to bring the underrepresented “immigrant gaze” and POV to the world – to create more awareness about immigrants in advertising and our unique plight and challenges.

I am a mentor in many organizations such as 30-minute university, sherunsit, Asian leader circle and truly believe in paying forward as much as I can. I had the opportunity to share my growth and stories here in this AAPI spotlight on Adage – https://adage.com/creativity/work/aapi-creative-excellence-spotlight-archana-mahadevan-and-state-farm/2418776