Aussie adman David Droga named CEO & creative chairman of Accenture Interactive
Global professional advisory firm Accenture has appointed Australian creative icon David Droga, founder and chairman of Droga5, as Accenture Interactive’s new CEO and creative chairman, effective 1 September, 2021. He replaces Brian Whipple who has announced his retirement from the company.
Accenture Interactive acquired Droga’s agency Droga5 in 2019, which at the time was the largest deal to date by the consulting firm’s agency arm. It has previously also acquired other agencies, such as Australian outfit The Monkeys and design business Maud.
Whipple, led Accenture Interactive for the past ten years, and under his leadership, in fiscal year 2020 (ended 31 August 2020), grew Accenture Interactive revenue to US$10.6 billion.
In his new global role, Droga will drive creative services, customer experience and business innovation — to accelerate results. Droga will report to Accenture CEO Julie Sweet and join the company’s global management committee. He was most recently creative chairman of Droga5 following the agency’s acquisition.
David Droga
“At a time when our clients are led by purpose, brand and the transformation of experience, David’s global perspective and unmatched creative track record allows us to help clients unlock business and human outcomes in unprecedented ways,” said Sweet.
“I would like to thank and recognise Brian Whipple for his foundational role in building Accenture Interactive’s strong business, driving its rapid growth and for pioneering a disruptive business model that will continue redefining the industry,” added Sweet.
Prior to founding Droga5, Droga was the first-ever worldwide chief creative officer of the Publicis Network and held key creative leadership roles across agencies in the UK, Asia and Australia. To date, he is the most awarded creative at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and the youngest person ever inducted into the New York Art Directors Club Hall of Fame and awarded with the Cannes Lions Lifetime Achievement Award, the Lion of St. Mark.
“Accenture Interactive has rapidly become the leading digital powerhouse at the intersection of data, creativity and technology,” said Droga. “As the world seeks to build back better, Interactive will continue to play a critical role in creating 360 degree value for our clients. I look forward to putting further emphasis on our creative excellence, coupling it with our world-class ingenuity and proven expertise in Interactive and experiences.”
Droga5 and Accenture Interactive have created transformative brand experiences for many of the world’s leading brands, including Accenture, Kimberly Clark, Amazon and lululemon.
Mark Green, group CEO and co-founder of The Monkeys, was appointed lead for Accenture Interactive Australia and New Zealand in late 2019. Fellow co-founder of The Monkeys Justin Drape and Scott Nowell were named group co-chief creative officers for Australia and New Zealand. Drape left the agency earlier this year.
Accenture unveiled a new global campaign, developed by Droga5 late last year. The consultancy’s sweeping n campaign, ‘Let there be change’, tripled the company’s annual media spend to US$90 million.
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Olivia Kruimel is the managing editor at Mumbrella. She has more than 15 years of experience in journalism, communications and marketing. Her journalism career began at Fairfax Media (now part of Nine) and includes various B2B publications such as B&T, Travel Today and ALB. As a marketer Olivia has worked for Standard Chartered and various global law firms.
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