Latest news with #DavidDroga
AU Financial Review
6 days ago
- Business
- AU Financial Review
Adman Droga looks ahead after stepping down as Accenture Song CEO
He is widely seen as one of the world's last big-name advertising executives, a link to the Mad Men era of big, bold campaigns. But Australian ad man David Droga says he is pulling back on the throttle after 30 years of work. The 56-year-old will step down in September as chief executive of Accenture Song, the creative arm of the global professional services firm. He will be replaced by Song's Americas lead, Ndidi Oteh, and will continue working on some projects as vice chair of Accenture.
Fast Company
6 days ago
- Business
- Fast Company
‘You die if you stop moving:' Advertising legend David Droga on his plans for semi-retirement
David Droga is stepping down as CEO of Accenture Song, the global consultancy's creative marketing services unit. In September Droga will transition from his day-to-day leadership into a broader strategic role as vice chair of Accenture. Within only four years, Droga led Song's growth from $12.5 billion to $19 billion in revenue, all while winning Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity every year, I-COM Data Creativity Awards, Red Dot Design Awards, Webbys, and its first Emmy. Droga came to Accenture back in 2019, after Accenture Interactive acquired his ad agency Droga5. At the time, Droga explained that brand communications had gone far beyond just advertising, seeping into every time and place a consumer experiences a brand—from ads to retail to e-commerce. He knew the combination of Accenture's scale and digital expertise and Droga5's strategy and creativity would be in high demand. 'CEOs, CMOs, and CIOs all need to be on the same page, because they all affect each other now,' he said at the time. 'This isn't a nice-to-have. I think it's going to be crucial for any brand going forward. This is future-proofing.' Six years later, many brands are now just coming to terms with this. When Accenture Interactive was rebranded as Song, Droga (who was named CEO in 2021) saw it as another future-proofing move, to make sure the company's structure matched client demands. 'We're now more in line with each other, working on solutions together, same P&L, so there's no competing forces getting in the way,' he said. 'I think that's the only way to step up and deliver what clients need.' The final deadline for Fast Company's Brands That Matter Awards is this Friday, May 30, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.
Fast Company
6 days ago
- Business
- Fast Company
David Droga is stepping down as CEO of Accenture Song
Accenture announced on Wednesday that David Droga, CEO of its technology-focused creative group Accenture Song, will step down from his role in September. Droga will transition from his day-to-day leadership role into a broader strategic role as vice chair of Accenture. As part of the transition, Ndidi Oteh, who currently serves as the Americas lead for Accenture Song, will become the CEO of Accenture Song, the company said. He will also join Accenture's Global Management Committee. Meanwhile, Nick Law, current creative chairperson for Accenture Song, is set to become the creative strategy and experience lead. 'Once-in-a-generation creative leader' An award-winning creative executive, Droga founded his New York-based namesake advertising agency, Droga5, in 2006. Under his leadership, the creative agency won numerous awards for its innovative advertising campaigns. In 2019, Droga sold Droga5 to Accenture Song (formerly Accenture Interactive). The agency has offices in New York City, London, Dublin, Tokyo, and São Paulo. He became CEO of Accenture Song in 2021 after Accenture chair and CEO Julie Sweet asked him to step into the leadership role, as Sweet told Modern CEO in January. She saw the benefit of bringing his creative perspective to the leadership team. Droga's ideas helped to transform Accenture Song and accelerated the company's growth. As CEO, he introduced an operating model that merged creativity, design, technology, AI, data, and strategy into one connected platform. Droga spoke about how AI was transforming the advertising industry on Fast Company's 'Brand New World' podcast in February. In a news release, Sweet described Droga as a 'once-in-a-generation creative leader and business builder' who has 'lived our core value of stewardship and has developed the next generation of leaders who will build an even better Song.' 'I am ready to catch my breath' In today's company news release, Droga expressed appreciation and conveyed his optimism for the future of Accenture Song. 'With such extraordinary leadership in place, it felt like the right time,' he said. He also discussed his next chapter. 'After 30 plus years of leaping, I am ready to catch my breath. And being vice chair will allow me to do that, but also to contribute in new ways.'
Associated Press
7 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
David Droga to Step Down as Accenture Song CEO, Appointed Accenture Vice Chair
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 28, 2025-- Accenture (NYSE: ACN) today announced that after a transformative tenure as chief executive officer of Accenture Song, David Droga has chosen to step down from day-to-day leadership of Accenture Song at the end of the fiscal year and take on a broader strategic role across all of Accenture as vice chair. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: David Droga On September 1, 2025, Ndidi Oteh will become CEO of Accenture Song. Oteh is currently the Accenture Song Americas lead. Since joining Accenture in 2011, Oteh has been a trusted partner to many of the largest and most innovative Fortune 500 companies, leading complex digital transformations and consumer growth strategies. Oteh will also join Accenture's Global Management Committee (GMC). Nick Law will become the new Song creative strategy & experience lead and will also join Accenture's GMC. His reputation as a leader and global design force has long been established. For Droga—who is widely recognized as one of the most influential creative leaders of the 21 st century—his decision to pass the torch marks the close of an extraordinary chapter in a storied career defined by creative excellence, leadership at scale and an enduring commitment to positive progress and stewardship. Since assuming the CEO role in 2021, Droga's impact was immediate, as he led Accenture Interactive through a period of rapid growth and bold transformation. He started by unifying over 40 acquisitions and groups under the name Accenture Song, and introduced a new operating model that integrated creativity, technology, design, AI, strategy and data into one connected platform. He also assembled a leadership team that became the envy of every holding company and consultancy firm. As Droga remarked on the 'Masters of Scale' podcast, 'We are in the business of scaling excellence to help our clients grow and stay relevant. You start by hiring experts, not generalists, and then build a culture of solving, not selling.' Within only four years, Song became the world's largest tech-powered creative company, growing from $12.5 billion to $19 billion in revenue (fiscal year ending Aug. 31, 2024). It also established tech-infused creativity as another core offering of Accenture, winning Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity every year, I-COM Data Creativity Awards, Red Dot Design Awards, Webbys and even its first Emmy. 'David Droga has long been a singular force and a once-in-a-generation creative leader and business builder and he has lived our core value of stewardship and has developed the next generation of leaders who will build an even better Song,' said Julie Sweet, chair and CEO of Accenture. 'He brings humanity, imagination, clarity, and confidence to everything he touches and helps redefine how businesses grow and connect. His brilliance is matched only by his generosity, integrity, and belief in others. As Accenture's vice chair, his legacy and impact will continue for our people, our work, and our purpose.' Droga said, 'It has been a privilege to be part of so many missions and cultures around the world. With such extraordinary leadership in place, it felt like the right time. I could not be more confident that Ndidi, Sean and Nick will continue building on Song's legacy of innovation, creativity, and performance. I am also deeply grateful for Julie Sweet's trust, our partnership, and what will be an enduring friendship.' Droga's impact across industries and continents is remarkable and enduring. As the founder of Droga5, he created one of the most admired and influential creative companies of the modern era. His eponymous agency earned 'Agency of the Year' honors more than 30 times and was twice named 'Agency of the Decade' by Ad Age and Adweek. It became known for work that was original, culturally resonant, and creatively fearless. Among his most iconic campaigns were those for The New York Times, the British Army, Under Armour, Marc Ecko, Meta, Game of Thrones, UNICEF, Amazon, the NSPCC, Puma, the New York City Department of Education, Tourism Australia, JAY-Z, JPMorgan Chase and Coinbase. These and many others helped redefine what advertising could be and should achieve in the digital age. Following its acquisition by Accenture in 2019, Droga5 became the creative cornerstone that would evolve into Accenture Song. 'I honestly could not be more grateful for my career and the opportunities I've had,' Droga added. 'The people who believed in me, the talent I've worked alongside, the clients we've served, the trust, the ambition, the camaraderie, it's all part of me. After 30 plus years of leaping, I am ready to catch my breath. And being vice chair will allow me to do that, but also to contribute in new ways. I am also excited to spend more time suffixing: Thinking, daydreaming, advising, investing, giving, mentoring, exploring, learning, playing, appreciating, family-ing, sleeping-in-ing.' Droga began his career in Australia at the age of 18 after receiving top honors at the Australian Writers and Art Directors School. By 22, he was executive creative director of the country's leading agency. He went on to lead award-winning agencies across Asia and Europe before founding Droga5 in New York in 2006. The agency was named after a laundry tag his mother sewed into his clothes at boarding school. In 2012, Droga was named Global Australian of the Year by for his contributions to business, culture, and international influence. He is the most awarded creative in the history of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and the youngest recipient of its lifetime achievement honor, the Lion of St. Mark, at age 47. He has been inducted into multiple halls of fame globally and is widely considered one of the defining architects of modern marketing. He was among the first to champion viral, social, and earned media as central tenets of brand building. His work is studied in classrooms and boardrooms, featured in Harvard Business School curriculum, and included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art. View source version on CONTACT: Tina Janczura Accenture +1 312 719 5608 [email protected] KEYWORD: NEW YORK UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: MARKETING DATA MANAGEMENT ADVERTISING DIGITAL MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY SOFTWARE SOURCE: Accenture Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 05/28/2025 07:15 AM/DISC: 05/28/2025 07:13 AM
