Droga5 appoints DDB Chicago CEO as global chief strategy officer

Droga5 has hired DDB Chicago CEO Emma Montgomery as global chief strategy officer, a move that rounds out a new executive leadership team at the Accenture Song agency. Montgomery, who had been at the helm of Omnicom-owned DDB Chicago since May 2023, will relocate to New York for her new role. Jonny Bauer, who left Droga5 for Blackstone in 2021, was the last executive to lead global strategy, according to a spokesperson. Accenture Song’s expertise in design and digital products, commerce and more was a strong factor in Montgomery’s decision. “There isn’t a single other CSO role I would take other than this one,” she told Ad Age. “It’s a very different engine.” Agency Review Tracker Stay up to date with the latest account reviews Click here Caroline Winterton, U.S. CEO of adam&eveDDB, will now oversee DDB Chicago in addition to her role at adam&eveDDB, Alex Lubar, global CEO of DDB Worldwide, said in an emailed statement. DDB declined to comment when asked whether it planned to hire an executive to replace Montgomery in a DDB Chicago-specific role. Before joining DDB Chicago, Montgomery was CEO of Leo Burnett Australia. She served as Leo Burnett Chicago president and chief strategy officer before departing for TBWA in 2020 for a role as co-chief strategy officer at the Omnicom agency. Global expansion, local impact With Montgomery’s appointment, Droga5 has put the finishing touches on a new global leadership team. In August, the agency named Mark Green, co-founder and CEO of Australian creative shop The Monkeys, as its global CEO, replacing Sarah Thompson, who had left. Green’s appointment came only a few months after Droga5 hired Activision Blizzard executive Pelle Sjoenell as worldwide chief creative officer. The leadership trio is designed to better support what executives described as a “new chapter” for Droga5. Effective Dec. 1, The Monkeys will merge with Droga5, forming an agency with offices in Dublin, London, New York, São Paulo, Tokyo, Auckland, Melbourne and Sydney. Droga5 São Paulo added roughly 300 employees in June, when Accenture bought the independent Brazilian creative shop Soko. (Financial terms were not disclosed.) “The idea is to try and bring a creative transformation lens to the global offer,” Green told Ad Age in an interview. “You need to orchestrate that with a group of leaders that can do it and have some experience in either leading agencies or bringing networks together.” Droga5 will initially focus less on planting flags in new countries, but rather maximizing impact with local clients, Green said. The agency aims to do more transformative work, such as “The First Digital Nation,” which helped Pacific island Tuvalu legally create a fully digital version of itself—so it can survive when rising sea levels eventually wipe out its physical presence. The campaign won the Grand Prix in the Dan Wieden Titanium Lions category at Cannes in 2023. A-List & Creativity Awards Enter for a chance to be recognized as the best in advertising Submit your entry here “That's something that only a D5 plus Accenture could do,” Green said. One of the new unit’s other goals is to increase integration within existing Droga5 offices. “There are fantastic new ways to learn from each other and to adapt to global needs in different places,” said Sjoenell, recalling his stint as worldwide chief creative officer at BBH. Asked about more potential acquisitions, Green said Droga5 is in the process of developing its global strategy. “We’re always on the lookout for new ways to grow in meaningful ways, whether that’s organic or inorganic,” he said. “We’ll pursue both strategically.” Droga5 recently won agency of record assignments with Bosch and Tourism Australia, and it was appointed the experiential agency partner for Max to promote “Dune: Prophecy” this fall.

Droga5 appoints DDB Chicago CEO as global chief strategy officer

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