Vanaja Pillai

Vanaja Pillai is a writer, advertising professional and a DEI advocate. She currently heads DEI at the DDB Mudra Group.

With over two decades of experience in marketing and business management with leading agency networks, Vanaja enjoys setting up practices and converting ideas into strong businesses.

In 2020, Vanaja decided to play an active role in catalysing the slow but sure progress happening towards gender parity. She runs DDB’s Phyllis India Project, an award-winning women’s leadership development program which is now inspiring chapters across the group’s network. She dreams of a world, where women are well represented at every level, and live an un-discriminated and level-play life.

Omana, her first book, is a collection of fifteen stories based on the lives of contemporary Indian women, tabling their challenges recognising their struggles. We have such a long way to go before our girls see the semblance of fairness in this world!