Usha Bhandarkar passed away last week, and like everyone else who knew her, I have been deeply affected by her loss.

That she was a creative superstar and a builder of multiple power brands is legendary.

Usha and I never did a day’s ‘official’ work together. But we forged a very special bond from then to now.

As a young executive at Lintas, I watched this brilliant creative force quietly walk around the agency in her customary blue jeans and a crisp cotton shirt. That’s where I first met her.

She was unassuming in appearance and wore her position and power lightly. But she had every client eating out of her hands. 

She would sometimes take the bus to work. Legend has it that she would scribble the nub of a creative idea behind a bus ticket. She also carried a little notebook, which came out at meetings to take a few notes. That book perhaps carried the most valuable campaign ideas.

Usha had a career spanning decades. In that time, she was not only the creative force behind powerful and huge brands that made immense profits for clients, but she also touched the lives of millions of consumers in the most valuable way. And that was her special brand of magic. 

She was an absolute genius at framing the basic insight that translated to brilliant cut-through ideas. In long consumer research debriefs, she would listen carefully and distill a two-hour session into a crystal-clear proposition. Her mind was razor sharp.

Perhaps very few understood the tenets and requirements of the FMCG sector from a creative standpoint more than Usha. Clients respected her creativity. Surf, Rin, Wheel, and so many other brands were built by her, especially through her responses to the challenges they faced.

Usha’s biggest strength was her leadership qualities. She created an environment where her team could thrive. Each person knew she had their back. They were given the space and encouraged to go and do their best. Each one in her team was nurtured to deliver to their utmost potential, going on to become respected names themselves.

She had loads of admirers for playing unique roles in their lives: encouraging women by allowing part-time work for new mothers, giving a young executive a chance to see Africa by assisting her at a conference, or making each person present their own work to very senior clients. Or, even tiny gestures, such as taking a nervous new joinee for a cup of coffee at the Sea Lounge, or simply dropping by a harried executive’s cabin to say a few nice words.

In 2012, she reached out to me for a photograph of mine with a quote on what Lintas meant to me. Of course, I emailed it over to her in a jiffy. “Why do you need it?” I asked. She said, “I have been asked to do a presentation on 20 people who’ve walked through this great agency, and their views. I’ve picked you as one of them." As I mentioned, we’d never worked together. But it was the Lintas family. And that was Usha for you. Observing and forging relationships. I was totally thrilled. A month later, she got back to me, sending me the deck that was presented to some overseas partners.

She always sent the most thoughtful messages on Diwali and New Year. No forwards. Her birthday messages were never stickers or readymade posters. It was always an encouraging note. Her last message to me was in November 2024, when I wished her for her birthday. One would never get a simple ‘thank you’ back. It always came wrapped in thought and kindness, making one feel ten feet tall. I must have read her last message over twenty times, with pure joy. That was how she encouraged everyone.

She was no-nonsense, yet gentle.

A powerhouse who made no noise. And yet the brands she created spoke loudly to their consumers. 

In her own quiet way, she did a lot of philanthropy using her marketing prowess and varied abilities to advance many social causes. She was a truly remarkable lady. 

She will be truly missed. 

The author is a former senior associate director at Lintas and president (North), Leo. She currently teaches marketing at business schools across India, and is also the author of 'Don’t Forget 2004: Advertising Secrets of an Impossible Election Victory.'