Tara Ford relocates, Droga5 names new co-chief creative officers
Accenture Song’s Droga5 has announced that chief creative officer Tara Ford will be relocating, and has named her ANZ successors.
Ford has been named the new chief creative officer of Droga5 London. There, she will work closely with Droga5 London’s CEO Bill Scott and CSO Will Hodge.
She said she’s had an amazing time at Droga5 ANZ, but the opportunity to take the lead in London was “just too alluring”, according to a media release.
Tara Ford
As a result, Droga5 ANZ has undergone an “orchestrated creative restructure”, naming Barbara Humphries and Damon Stapleton as its new co-CCOs. The pair will report to Matt Michael, CEO of Droga5 ANZ.
“Droga5 ANZ is in great hands with Barb and Damon at the helm and I have no doubt the agency will flourish under their leadership,” Ford said in the release.
Michael said: “I’m excited for Tara and looking forward to seeing her make the incredible kind of impact she has made in Australia in another part of our global network. Her move to head up London further underscores the incredible regional and global opportunities available to our creative talent.
“Having worked closely with Barb and Damon over the years, I’m thrilled to see these two heavyweights unite, strengthening our creative firepower for clients across the region.
“This move reinforces our commitment to borderless creativity, driving transformative impact for our client’s businesses, brands, and reputations in a way that continues to lead the world. With the creative calibre of Damon and Barb leading the charge, the next phase of Droga5 ANZ is set to be truly exciting,” he said in the release.
Humphries has been with Droga5 (formerly The Monkeys) for over 12 years, most recently as ECD. During her time at the agency, she has worked closely with Ford, shaping its creative output. She was recently ranked the #1 ECD in APAC by the One Show Global Creative Rankings, and was the joint AWARD Creative Leader of The Year with Ford.
Meanwhile, Stapleton was CCO of Droga5 Aotearoa, where he helped launch the agency across the Tasman. He was named one of the top 20 CCOs globally by D&AD, and has amassed over 500 international award wins.
Mark Green, global CEO of Droga5, said the restructure hopes to ‘”reinvent” the agency’s worldwide offering, repositioning it for a new phase of growth.
(L-R): Humphries, Michael, Stapleton
“It is always great to see people you have worked with closely for many years take on new challenges,” Green said in the release.
“With Tara moving to London, we didn’t hesitate to elevate Barb and Damon, and it felt like the perfect opportunity for everyone to advance their careers and bolster the creative pedigree of Droga5 globally.”
Humphries said in the release: “I’m really proud of the recent momentum as part of The Monkeys, Song and now Droga5, and learning from a creative force like Tara over the past few years has been invaluable.
“Now, with the opportunity to bring together more of our talented people across three offices, partnering with the brilliant Damon Stapleton and long-time collaborator Matt, I’m super excited about the opportunities ahead of us.”
Stapleton seconded Humphries, adding: “Having the larger playing field of Australia and New Zealand with so many more Lego pieces to push creativity forward is always going to be fun. On top of that, I get to partner with somebody as massively talented as Barb which makes that journey even more special. I look forward to great ideas and making great stuff.”
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Lauren McNamara is the associate editor at Mumbrella, covering the creative and PR beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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