A Madison Avenue heavyweight is about to hang up his hat.
Accenture Song CEO David Droga is leaving the role on Sept. 1, when he will become vice chair at Accenture, the company announced today.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Droga attributed his exit to wanting to focus on his foundation and other companies he is involved in, as well as wanting to take a break. He will be replaced by Ndidi Oteh, who currently serves as head of Americas at Accenture Song.
“After 30-plus years of leaping, I am ready to catch my breath,” Droga said in a press release announcing the move. “I am also excited to spend more time suffixing: thinking, daydreaming, advising, investing, giving, mentoring, exploring, learning, playing, appreciating, family-ing, sleeping-in-ing.”
When asked for comment, Accenture Song directed Marketing Brew to a press release.
Big shoes: Forget Don Draper; Droga is one of the most well-known creatives in adland. His work includes campaigns for major brands including Amazon, Puma, and Under Armour. A widely awarded creative, in 2017, he won the Cannes Lions lifetime achievement award, the Lion of St. Mark, when he was 47 years old, making him the youngest-ever winner.
Droga founded Droga5 in New York in 2006 after stints at agencies in Australia, where he is from, as well as Europe and Asia. In 2019, he sold Droga5 to Accenture, becoming Accenture Song CEO in 2021. He was a primary architect of Accenture Song, consolidating over 40 Accenture properties into the tech-forward offering that has gone on to compete with major holding companies like WPP and Omnicom.
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