David Droga
{{Short description|Australian businessman (born 1968)}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name = David Droga
| image = David Droga.jpg
| birth_name = David Bjorn Droga
| birth_date = 1968
| birth_place = Perisher Valley, New South Wales, Australia
| nationality = Australian
| other_names =
| citizenship =
| education = The King's School
| alma_mater =
| occupation = Advertising
| years_active =
| height =
}}
David Droga (born 1968) is an Australian advertising executive and founder of the advertising agency Droga5. Droga5 was acquired by Accenture Interactive in 2019 and Droga was named Chief Executive Officer in August, 2021.{{Cite web |last=Beer |first=Jeff |date=April 3, 2019 |title=Why Accenture Interactive buying ad agency Droga5 is such a big deal |work=Fast Company |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90328733/why-accenture-interactive-buying-ad-agency-droga5-is-such-a-big-deal}}{{Cite web |date=August 19, 2021 |first=Shauna |last=Lewis |title=David Droga becomes CEO and creative chairman of Accenture Interactive |url=https://www.campaignlive.com/article/david-droga-becomes-ceo-creative-chairman-accenture-interactive/1725195 |access-date=2023-05-17 |website=www.campaignlive.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Dan |first=Avi |date=August 19, 2021 |title=David Droga, Who Started in the Mailroom, Is Now the King of Advertising |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/avidan/2021/08/23/david-droga-who-started-in-the-mailroom-is-now-the-king-of-advertising/ |access-date=2023-05-17 |website=Forbes |language=en}} (Droga renamed Accenture Interactive to Accenture Song in 2022).{{Cite web |last=Matlins |first=Seth |title=A New Melody: Accenture Interactive Becomes Accenture Song |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/sethmatlins/2022/04/26/a-new-melody-accenture-interactive-becomes-accenture-song/ |access-date=2024-11-17 |website=Forbes |language=en}}
Early life and education
Droga grew up in Perisher Valley, a remote ski resort in Kosciuszko National Park, New South Wales, Australia, the fifth of six children.{{cite web |title=David Droga Biography |url=https://www.allamericanspeakers.com/booking-request/David-Droga/406350 |website=allamericanspeakers.com |access-date=26 March 2019}}{{cite web|last1=Ringen|first1=Jonathan|title=Advertising Superstar David Droga Knows How to Get in Your Head|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/40427324/advertising-superstar-david-droga-knows-how-to-get-in-your-head|work=Fast Company|date=15 June 2017 }} His mother was a Danish artist, poet and environmentalist, while his father was an Australian businessman of Polish descent.{{cite web|title=PROFILE: Dave Droga|url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/profile-dave-droga/178258?src_site=brandrepublic|date=31 March 2003|access-date=18 December 2022|website=Campaign Live|quote=David Bjorn Droga, the product of a mad hippie Danish mother and a Jewish businessman father, greets me at the door of his three-storey house in London's fashionable Notting Hill.}} Droga attended early primary school at Jindabyne Central School (1973–1977) and then the Tudor House School (1978–1980). He went to high school at The King's School in Paramatta, Sydney.{{Cite web |last=Stewart |first=Cameron |date=January 22, 2022 |title=How David Droga became the world's most powerful adman |url=https://www.theaustralian.com.au/weekend-australian-magazine/how-did-david-droga-become-the-worlds-most-powerful-adman/news-story/ce198a70b4661a5f0bcca6f17ef94522 |website=The Australian}} He launched his advertising career as a copywriter at the Australian Writers and Art Directors School in 1987.{{cite news|title=David Droga|url=http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising/david-droga-57668|publisher=Adweek|date=22 July 2002}}{{Cite web |title=A step back in time – 30 years of great advertising – AdNews |url=https://www.adnews.com.au/news/a-step-back-in-time-30-years-of-great-advertising |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=www.adnews.com.au |language=en}}
Career
= Early Career =
Six months after being hired by FCB as a copywriter, Droga left the company and joined startup OMON in Sydney. His first project for radio station MMM was voted Australian Commercial of the Year, and won him a Cannes Lion.{{Cite web |title=David Droga Acceptance Speech |url=https://www.lionscreativity.com/david-droga-acceptance-speech#:~:text=David%20Droga%20is%20not%20only,in%20his%20career%20to%20date. |access-date=2023-05-18 |website=www.lionscreativity.com |language=en-US}} Droga became a Partner and Executive Creative Director of OMON.{{cite web|title=ADC Hall of Fame Awards|url=http://adcglobal.org/hall-of-fame/david-droga/|website=ADC}}{{cite web|last1=Shaw|first1=Adam|title=David Droga Executive Chairman at Droga5|url=http://www.bestadsontv.com/profile/1454/David-Droga|website=bestadsontv.com|publisher=Best Ads on TV}}
In 1996, he moved to Singapore to become Executive Creative Director of Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore and Regional Creative Director of Saatchi Asia. {{Cite web |title=David Droga - AdNews |url=https://www.adnews.com.au/people/david-droga |access-date=2024-11-19 |website=www.adnews.com.au |language=en}} Droga was promoted to Executive Creative Director of Saatchi & Saatchi London in 1999. In 2002, Advertising Age awarded Droga the World's Top Creative Director.{{cite web|last1=Oreamuno|first1=Ignacio|title=David Droga: Worldwide Creative Director Publicis|url=http://ihaveanidea.org/creatives/2004/04/26/david-droga/|website=ihaveanidea.org|publisher=ihaveanidea}}{{cite web|title=About David Droga|url=https://www.berlin-school.com/people/david-droga|website=Berlin School of Creative Leadership}} Saatchi & Saatchi London won Global Agency of the Year at the Cannes International Advertising Festival and both Advertising Age and Adweek named Saatchi Agency of the Year.{{cite web|title=ADC Hall of Fame David Droga|url=http://adcglobal.org/hall-of-fame/david-droga/|website=Art Director's Club}} In 2000, Publicis Groupe acquired Saatchi{{Cite web |title=Publicis to buy Saatchi for $1.9 billion – Jun. 20, 2000 |url=https://money.cnn.com/2000/06/20/europe/saatchi/ |access-date=2023-05-18 |website=money.cnn.com}} and in 2004, Droga was promoted to Worldwide Chief Creative Officer of the Publicis Network, which took him to New York City in 2005.{{cite news|last1=Wentz|first1=Laura|title=The Player: Droga to lead creative revival as Publicis makes itself over|url=http://adage.com/article/news/player-droga-lead-creative-revival-publicis-makes/50511/|work=Advertising Age|date=13 January 2003}}
=Droga5=
Droga founded his own agency, Droga5, in New York City in 2006. The name Droga5 comes from the number-coded laundry tag his mother sewed on his clothes to help differentiate his clothes from his brothers at boarding school.{{Cite web |last=Griner |first=David |title=Timeline: The Bold Work That Made Droga5 an Iconic Independent Agency |url=https://www.adweek.com/agencies/timeline-the-bold-work-that-made-droga5-an-iconic-independent-agency/ |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=www.adweek.com |date=3 April 2019 |language=en-US}}
In 2013, Droga sold a minority stake in Droga5 to William Morris Endeavor.{{Cite web |last=Vega |first=Tanzina |date=11 July 2013 |title=William Morris to Invest in Droga5, an Ad Agency |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/12/business/media/william-morris-to-invest-in-droga5-an-ad-agency.html |website=New York Times}}
In 2019, he sold Droga5 to Accenture Interactive.{{Cite web |last=Maheshwari |first=Sapna |date=3 April 2019 |title=Accenture Is Buying Droga5, an Ad Agency, Making a Bet on Creativity |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/03/business/media/accenture-droga5-advertising.html |website=New York Times}}
=Accenture Song=
Accenture appointed Droga as Accenture Song's new CEO and creative chairman, effective September 1, 2021.{{Cite web|url=https://newsroom.accenture.com/news/david-droga-named-ceo-and-creative-chairman-of-accenture-interactive.htm|title=David Droga, CEO and Creative Chairman, Accenture Interactive}}{{Cite web |last=Diaz |first=Ann-Christine |date=2022-09-06 |title=David Droga looks back at one year as Accenture Song CEO |url=https://adage.com/article/agency-news/david-droga-looks-back-one-year-accenture-song-ceo/2427956 |access-date=2023-05-19 |website=Ad Age |language=en}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.droga5.com Droga5 website]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Droga, David}}
Category:Australian businesspeople