David Droga Steps Down as Accenture Song CEO; Ndidi Oteh to take charge
HighlightsDavid Droga transitions to Vice Chair at Accenture. Ndidi Oteh named new CEO of Accenture Song. Accenture Song sees significant growth under Droga's leadership.
Accenture
has announced that
David Droga
will step down from his role as chief executive officer of
Accenture Song
at the end of the fiscal year. He will transition to a broader strategic role as vice chair across all of Accenture.
Ndidi Oteh
, currently the Accenture Song Americas lead, will become CEO of Accenture Song on September 1, 2025. Oteh will also join Accenture's Global Management Committee (GMC).
Nick Law will assume the role of Song creative strategy & experience lead. He will also join Accenture's GMC.
Droga's decision to step down marks the end of a chapter defined by creative excellence and leadership. He assumed the CEO role in 2021.
During his tenure, Droga led Accenture Interactive through a period of rapid growth and transformation. He unified over 40 acquisitions and groups under the name Accenture Song.
He introduced a new operating model that integrated creativity, technology, design, AI, strategy, and data into one connected platform. He also assembled a leadership team.
As Droga remarked recently in a 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 four years, Accenture Song grew from $12.5 billion to $19 billion in revenue (fiscal year ending Aug. 31, 2024). It became the world's largest tech-powered creative company.
Accenture Song also established tech-infused creativity as a core offering of Accenture. The company won Grand Prix at the
Cannes Lions
Festival of Creativity every year, I-COM Data Creativity Awards, Red Dot Design Awards, Webbys, and its first Emmy.
Julie Sweet
, chair and CEO of Accenture, said, "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. 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 expressed his gratitude and confidence in the new leadership:
"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 spans across industries and continents. As the founder of Droga5, he created one of the most admired and influential creative companies.
His
agency
earned 'Agency of the Year' honors more than 30 times. It was twice named 'Agency of the Decade' by Ad Age and Adweek.
Droga5 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 campaigns helped redefine what advertising could achieve in the digital age. Following its acquisition by Accenture in 2019, Droga5 became the creative cornerstone that evolved into Accenture Song.
Droga reflected on his career stating, "I honestly could not be more grateful for my career and the opportunities I've had. 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. He received 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 Advance.org.
This recognition was 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.
He is 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.
He 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. It is featured in Harvard Business School curriculum.
It is also included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
Oteh has been a trusted partner to many of the largest and most innovative Fortune 500 companies since joining Accenture in 2011. She has led complex digital transformations and consumer growth strategies.
Droga's tenure as CEO was marked by significant growth and transformation. He unified numerous acquisitions under the Accenture Song banner.
He also introduced a new operating model that integrated various disciplines. This model included creativity, technology, design, AI, strategy, and data.
His leadership led to substantial revenue growth and industry recognition. Accenture Song became the world's largest tech-powered creative company.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
CBI files FIR against ex-officers of JNPT, TCE over ₹800 crore irregularities in dredging project; conducts searches
The CBI has registered a case against former officials of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE), as well as as two dredging companies, alleging irregularities worth more than ₹ 800 crore. As per officials, the alleged irregularities are linked to the Capital Dredging Project to deepen ship navigational channels near Mumbai. The federal investigative agency's action comes after three years of a preliminary inquiry that took a look into accusations of inflated estimates, halting of competition to benefit international bidders, extending undue favours to contactors, and suppression of reports of independent expert organisations. The CBI in its FIR has booked named then chief engineer of JNPT Sunil Kumar Madabhavi, then project director of TCE, Devdutt Bose, Boskalis Smit India LLP, Jan De Nul Dredging India Pvt Ltd and other unidentified public servants. The case has been lodged under IPC Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating) and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Following the registration of its FIR, the CBI searched five locations in Mumbai and Chennai, including the homes of Madabhavi and Bose, and offices of private companies. The searches led to the recovery of a number of documents relating to the Capital Dredging Project, digital devices and documents showing investments made by public servants, a CBI spokesperson said. The documents recovered are being examined, she said in a statement. No immediate reaction was available from the accused companies. 'The allegations of pecuniary advantage obtained by the private companies as a result of abuse of official position by the JNPT officials resulting into a huge wrongful loss to the exchequer, spread over the period from 2003 to 2014 (phase-I of the project) and 2013 to 2019 (phase-II of the project) was also inquired,' the CBI said in the FIR. The inquiry showed a criminal conspiracy between JNPT officials and other private persons, including an official of Tata Consulting Engineers, and others, which resulted in wrongful loss amounting to ₹ 365.90 crore for phase-I and ₹ 438 crore for phase-II to JNPT due to over-dredging. The case pertains to a project envisaged by the JNPT to deepen and widen the navigational channel it shared with the Mumbai Port in 2003 to cater to the needs of larger size cargo ships. TCE was roped in for preparation of a final report on the planning for dredging activities for the Capital Dredging Phase-I project, which was submitted in 2010 in association with Dredging Solution. TCE was also awarded the work of project management consultant for the project, including preparation of the tender documents and work of supervising the execution of the project, the FIR alleged. The CBI during its preliminary inquiry found that JNPT officials along with TCE executives kept tender conditions to favour foreign bidders, and violated the guidelines of Competition Commission of India by allowing complimentary bidding, and allowed the formation of the joint venture by solely eligible bidders Boskalis Smit India LLP with Jan De Nul Dredging India Pvt Ltd (also known as BSI-JDN JV). The CBI inquiry also showed violation of a number of guidelines related to fixation of rates for dredging different type of rocks, delay in project, false claim of ₹ 348 crore by the contractor without actual performance of work, excess payment of ₹ 430 crore, and manipulation of the pre-dredge survey by using a less accurate software, 'Qinsy', among others.
Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
CBI books ex-officials of Tata firm, JNPA in ₹800 crore project fraud case. What investigation found
The Central Bureau of Investigation has filed a case against former officials of Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE), Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and and two dredging companies over alleged irregularities worth over ₹ 800 crore in the Capital Dredging Project to deepen ship navigational channels near Mumbai, news agency PTI reported, citing officials. The CBI, in its FIR, has booked the then chief engineer of JNPT Sunil Kumar Madabhavi, then project director of TCE, Devdutt Bose, Boskalis Smit India LLP, Jan De Nul Dredging India Pvt Ltd and other unidentified public servants.(Pic for representational purpose only) The federal investigative agency acted following a three-year preliminary inquiry into allegations that included inflated project estimates, manipulation of competition to benefit foreign bidders, granting undue favours to contractors, and the suppression of findings from independent expert bodies. The CBI, in its FIR, has booked the then chief engineer of JNPT Sunil Kumar Madabhavi, then project director of TCE, Devdutt Bose, Boskalis Smit India LLP, Jan De Nul Dredging India Pvt Ltd and other unidentified public servants under IPC Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating) and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. After the FIR was registered on Wednesday, the CBI conducted searches at five locations in Mumbai and Chennai, including the residence of Madabhavi, Bose and offices of private companies. A CBI spokesperson said the searches recovered a number of documents relating to the Capital Dredging Project, digital devices, and documents showing investments made by public servants. The documents recovered are being examined, she said in a statement. No immediate reaction was available from the accused companies, the PTI report said. "The allegations of pecuniary advantage obtained by the private companies as a result of abuse of official position by the JNPT officials resulting into a huge wrongful loss to the exchequer, spread over the period from 2003 to 2014 (phase-I of the project) and 2013 to 2019 (phase-II of the project) was also inquired," the CBI said in the FIR. The CBI probe found The inquiry revealed a criminal conspiracy involving officials of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), private individuals, including an executive from Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE), and others. This alleged collusion resulted in wrongful losses of ₹ 365.90 crore during Phase-I and ₹ 438 crore in Phase-II of the dredging project due to over-dredging. 365.90 crore during Phase-I and 438 crore in Phase-II of the dredging project due to over-dredging. The case stems from a project initiated by JNPT in 2003 to deepen and widen the shared navigational channel with Mumbai Port to accommodate larger cargo vessels. TCE was engaged to prepare the final report for Capital Dredging Phase-I, which it submitted in 2010 in collaboration with Dredging Solution. The company was also appointed as the project management consultant, responsible for drafting tender documents and supervising project execution, according to the FIR. The CBI's preliminary inquiry found that JNPT officials, in collusion with TCE executives, structured the tender conditions to favour international bidders. They allegedly violated Competition Commission of India (CCI) norms by permitting complimentary bidding and enabling the formation of a joint venture between Boskalis Smit India LLP and Jan De Nul Dredging India Pvt Ltd (BSI-JDN JV), the only qualified bidders. The probe also highlighted multiple violations, including irregularities in rate fixation for different rock types, delays in project execution, a false claim of ₹ 348 crore by the contractor for unexecuted work, excess payments amounting to ₹ 430 crore, and manipulation of the pre-dredge survey using less accurate software, 'Qinsy', among other issues. (With inputs from PTI)
NDTV
4 hours ago
- NDTV
CBI Names Ex-Officials Of Tata Firm In Alleged Rs 800 Crore Port Scam
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a case against former officials of Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE) and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), and two dredging companies over alleged irregularities worth over Rs 800 crore in the Capital Dredging Project to deepen ship navigational channels near Mumbai, officials said. The action against the company officials follows a three-year preliminary inquiry into allegations of inflated estimates, throttling of competition to favour international bidders, extension of undue favours to contractors, and suppression of reports from independent expert organisations. In its FIR, the CBI has named the then chief engineer of JNPT Sunil Kumar Madabhavi, then project director of TCE, Devdutt Bose, Boskalis Smit India LLP, Jan De Nul Dredging India Pvt Ltd and other unidentified public servants under IPC Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating) and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. CBI registers case against former Chief Manager of JNPA and private persons/entities for alleged Corruption and causing loss of over Rs. 800 Crores to Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority — Central Bureau of Investigation (India) (@CBIHeadquarters) June 20, 2025 After the FIR was filed on Wednesday, the CBI conducted searches at five locations in Mumbai and Chennai, including the residence of Madabhavi, Bose and offices of private companies. Documents relating to the Capital Dredging Project, digital devices and documents showing investments made by public servants were recovered from the searches, a CBI spokesperson said. No immediate reaction was available from the accused companies. The case pertains to a project envisaged by the JNPT to deepen and widen the navigational channel it shared with the Mumbai Port in 2003 to cater to the needs of larger size cargo ships. The Tata firm was roped in for preparation of a final report on the planning for dredging activities for the Capital Dredging Phase-I project, which was submitted in 2010 in association with Dredging Solution. TCE was also awarded the work of project management consultant for the project, including preparation of the tender documents and work of supervising the execution of the project, the FIR alleged. "The allegations of pecuniary advantage obtained by the private companies as a result of abuse of official position by the JNPT officials resulting into a huge wrongful loss to the exchequer, spread over the period from 2003 to 2014 (phase-I of the project) and 2013 to 2019 (phase-II of the project) was also inquired," the CBI said in the FIR.
