Kanika Pahuja, marketing leader in India

I’m Kanika Pahuja. For 18+ years I've built brands and growth across wellness, EdTech, D2C, FMCG, retail and real estate.

Work with me Read what I believe

What Kanika Pahuja works on: four marketing practices

Kanika Pahuja works across brand and growth strategy, AI and digital transformation, performance marketing, and web, apps and content. Each practice links to a guide with her writing on it.

Brand and growth strategy
Brand strategy kept in step with the P&L, and communication plans built to hit measurable targets.
Digital transformation and AI in marketing
AI chatbots, CRM, customer-journey automation and AI-led digital business, put to work rather than piloted.
Performance and digital marketing
Lead generation, search and social built around the numbers the business cares about: CAC, CPL and return.
Web, apps and content
Sites, apps and content that load fast, launch well and turn attention into customers.

How she thinks about leading marketing in India

Indian marketing is being rewritten in real time. Hundreds of millions of people came online in a single decade, mostly on phones and often in their own language.

Playbooks written for slower markets don’t survive that.

My work is to help the people who run marketing here write new ones, and to share what works in the open so the whole industry moves forward together.

Build for the phone first, and for all of India, not only the metros.
Use AI to multiply good judgment, not to replace it.
Measure what changes the business, not what fills a dashboard.

Career record: 18+ years, from Ogilvy to VLCC

Kanika Pahuja spent over a decade at VLCC Healthcare, rising to Deputy General Manager, Marketing, after five agency years at Ogilvy, Law & Kenneth and Percept Hakuhodo. The highlights below come from her verified record.

18+ years in marketing: Across wellness and healthcare, EdTech, D2C and FemTech, FMCG, retail and real estate.
100+ centres, national marketing: Directed national marketing strategy for VLCC's centres across India.
₹1.2 Cr monthly performance spend: Managed across Google, Meta and affiliate networks.
−15% CPL, +20% CTR: Year on year, from performance campaigns she conceived at VLCC.
D2C app, Expert app and PWA: Led their launch at VLCC, introducing subscriptions and video consultations.
AI-driven customer journeys: CRM journey automation, AI lead scoring, and WhatsApp bot and AI chatbot integrations.
Deputy General Manager, Marketing: Over a decade at VLCC Healthcare, from Assistant Marketing Manager, with Management Appreciation Letters and cash rewards.
Head of Marketing, twice: Little Millennium Education (B2B franchise and B2C enrolment) and Laiqa (D2C FemTech), where engagement rose 20%.
Agency roots, 2008 to 2013: Ogilvy, Law & Kenneth and Percept Hakuhodo, on Dabur Oral Care, OVS, The Beer Café, DLF and Shipra.

Ways to work with Kanika Pahuja

She offers marketing leadership advisory, performance marketing reviews, AI and digital transformation in marketing, brand and go-to-market strategy, and speaking and workshops, for companies across India.

Marketing leadership advisory
Senior marketing leadership for founders and CEOs: strategy, team structure and budget decisions, from someone who has run national marketing.
Performance marketing review
An independent review of your Google, Meta and affiliate spend: where the money goes, what each lead really costs, and what to change first.
Digital transformation and AI in marketing
Putting AI chatbots, CRM automation, lead scoring and WhatsApp journeys to work in a marketing team, with the governance to keep them safe.
Brand and go-to-market strategy
Positioning, launch plans and integrated communication for new products, apps and markets, planned against the numbers the business runs on.
Speaking and team workshops
Talks and hands-on workshops on marketing leadership, performance marketing and AI in marketing, for conferences, colleges and in-house teams.

Questions about Kanika Pahuja

Who is Kanika Pahuja?

Kanika Pahuja is a marketing leader in India with 18+ years building brands and growth across wellness and healthcare, EdTech, D2C and FemTech, FMCG, retail and real estate. She spent over a decade at VLCC Healthcare, rising to Deputy General Manager, Marketing.

What has Kanika Pahuja done?

At VLCC she directed national marketing for 100+ centres, managed a ₹1.2 Cr monthly performance budget and led the digital transformation, including the D2C app, AI-driven CRM journeys and WhatsApp and chatbot integrations. She has also been Head of Marketing at Little Millennium Education and Laiqa, and began her career at Ogilvy, Law & Kenneth and Percept Hakuhodo.

How can I work with Kanika Pahuja?

Where is Kanika Pahuja based?

She is based in Gurugram, in the Delhi NCR region, and works with companies across India, in person and remotely.

Let’s build what Indian marketing does next.

For speaking, advisory work, or leading a marketing team through change, tell me what you need. Or write to hello@kanikapahuja.com.

Kanika PahujaMarketing leader, IndiaGurugram, Haryana, IndiaAcross India, in person and remotehello@kanikapahuja.com

Kanika Pahuja, marketing leader in IndiaLeading the people who lead Indian marketing.Leading the people who lead Indian marketing.