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Business Wire
28-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
David Droga to Step Down as Accenture Song CEO, Appointed Accenture Vice Chair
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--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. 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. About Accenture Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world's leading businesses, governments and other organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance citizen services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are a talent- and innovation-led company with approximately 801,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Technology is at the core of change today, and we are one of the world's leaders in helping drive that change, with strong ecosystem relationships. We combine our strength in technology and leadership in cloud, data and AI with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise and global delivery capability. Our broad range of services, solutions and assets across Strategy & Consulting, Technology, Operations, Industry X and Song, together with our culture of shared success and commitment to creating 360° value, enable us to help our clients reinvent and build trusted, lasting relationships. We measure our success by the 360° value we create for our clients, each other, our shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at
Associated Press
28-05-2025
- 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
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
GE Vernova's CEO on thriving through tariffs and supply chain shifts
Amid tariff whiplash and the rejuggling of global trade, GE Vernova's CEO Scott Strazik is finding a way to stay 'relentlessly optimistic.' Strazik returns to the Rapid Response podcast to share how the company plans to continue its success as one of Wall Street's top-performing stocks, despite looming supply chain disruption and market unpredictability. Zillow turns full-blown housing market bear—just look at its new forecast Apple canceled 'Mythic Quest.' Then it did something unheard of in the world of streaming TV What's behind the rise in interim CEOs This is an abridged transcript of an interview from Rapid Response, hosted by the former editor-in-chief of Fast Company Bob Safian. From the team behind the Masters of Scale podcast, Rapid Response features candid conversations with today's top business leaders navigating real-time challenges. Subscribe to Rapid Response wherever you get your podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. This embedded content is not available in your region. GE Vernova is now one year into life as an independent public company, much to celebrate—your revenue rose to $35 billion. In 2024, GE Vernova was the year's fourth best performing stock. Again, a lot to celebrate. But in 2025, the external environment hasn't been as friendly. The Trump tariffs have everyone scrambling. How do you think about this moment? How do you think about it compared to a year ago at this time? Well, our end markets really haven't changed very much, Bob. I would start there. I mean, we continue to see very strong end markets in our larger core businesses and gas power, in our electrification and grid businesses. So, frankly, there's going to be moments of dislocation between the stock market and our end markets. It doesn't mean that depending on where the tariffs go, that doesn't create an opportunity for us to prove out our nimbleness and managing our global supply chain, and we're going to have to do that. But I think it's frankly an opportunity for us to demonstrate how much we've grown in our first year as a public company to be able to operate in this kind of environment. How do the tariffs practically impact your business? I mean, you're a global business, so changes in global relationships and reputation, all of that requires some adjustment. Yeah, I think even if you take a step back and think about some of the stuff I've talked to our investors about on where we want to make investments, we want to invest in our business where we can improve the durability or the resiliency of our supply chain, and that's simply because we have a lot of organic growth that's coming in our businesses, irrespective of any policy changes. Now, policies are going to change, they're going to evolve. This is going to force us to relook at where we source certain things. It'll force us to revisit our terms with some of our suppliers in different locations, but we know how to do that. So, we don't want to be too fast to respond as we're kind of trying to make sense of everything. But I'd also rather be a company that is quick on its feet. In this environment, President Trump announced the tariffs on a Wednesday afternoon after the market closed. Rest assured by Friday afternoon, our teams were actively working evaluation plans of what our alternatives are. Now, it doesn't mean within 40 hours you pull the trigger in a dynamic period of time. So, we're working it pretty hard right now to figure out what our alternatives are, and with a growing backlog, to the extent our backlog is growing so substantially, that also puts us in a privileged position with our supply base to come and say, 'Listen, this is what it's going to take to keep serving GE Vernova.' It's almost like there's been a pullback around the very idea of globalization that maybe it's not good to be a global organization. Do you think about that? Well, when I think about my first four months of the year. I mean, my first trip of the year was to Singapore and Japan, the first week of January. I had a great trip in the Middle East in February visiting Saudi, Qatar, Dubai, Abu Dhabi. These are all important markets for us. I think we've got opportunities to serve these markets throughout, and we're going to work really hard to earn those opportunities. At the same time, long before announcements with tariffs, the reality is there has been an evolving shift with globalization. There's certainly been a lot of strategic moves towards concepts of decoupling from the Chinese supply chain explicitly. So, we've been working that over a long period of time. Now, the last week certainly has been broader than any one country, and with it, it forces you to really revisit it in an even more intimate way, what you do and where you do it, but we can do that. We're capable of taking that on, and I'm highly confident we can use this moment to make ourselves a better company for the long term. You have announced investing $600 million in U.S. factories yourself creating over 1,500 jobs. Yes. How much does GE Vernova need to be an American company? I would say more we need to be a local company for our local markets. I think in your bigger markets, you're going to have a local supply chain to serve that market, local teams to serve that market. We're a global company where, at this moment, one of our most important local markets certainly is the U.S., and that's why we're investing into that market. But we're not going to not invest in some of these other countries that are attractive and markets too to be local there. There's been some speculation that the speed with which U.S. manufacturing can ramp up to replace things that might have come from abroad, that that's going to take a while and there's going to be disruption. Is that something for your business that you see that you worry about, or is that part of the nimbleness, I guess, that you're talking about on the part of your team? We do have a fair amount of industrial footprint in the U.S. that allows us to build on existing assets. So, the $600 million investment is reinvesting in existing assets, 1,500 jobs to locations that already have the concrete poured. They already have the cranes. They already have the logistics with the railroad adjacent to the factory. So, we can move reasonably quickly. Now, to the extent the policy environment drives us towards greenfield investments to reindustrialize parts of our supply chain, that would take longer, truth be told. And that's a multiyear journey that, at this point, we aren't necessarily evaluating, but we will keep looking in that regard. But first and foremost, we're going to keep trying to eliminate waste in our existing processes and build upon the assets we have, and we feel like that can carry us for a period of time. Now, where we don't have it, as an example, we announced and closed an acquisition of a supply chain footprint from Woodward. That was a vertical supply chain integration of a small part of Woodward's business, but for our gas business, an important part of our supply chain where we thought it made more sense to just have that internal. How much do you tune your long-term decision-making when there's noise and change and pressure in the near term? We need to scrutinize how long the status quo is, for sure. And that can be hard to do in a volatile moment that we're in. But if nothing else, it gives us a chance to really challenge ourselves on what we have been doing, whether there's a different way to do it. And that's the way we talk about it internally is: 'This is an opportunity for us to really revisit past assumptions and think about how we can be better.' Now, in some cases, we may gain conviction with exactly the play we've been running. In others, there may be a better alternative. I mean, do you have, sort of, I don't know, leadership principles or lessons that you use as a touchstone when things do get volatile? Well, we're not going to suck our thumbs and cry on our beer as things kind of change. We want to use change as an opportunity to improve. In that regard, this moment when we're just reaching our one-year anniversary as a public company is a moment when I feel pretty confident we've got our feet on the ground, and we can play into this and use this moment of change to play offense on not just how we want 2025 to go, because we won't change 2025 in any material way certainly from a supply chain strategy, but we can use 2025 to challenge ourselves for the next decade, and that's very much what we're doing. This post originally appeared at to get the Fast Company newsletter:
