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David Droga is stepping down as CEO of Accenture Song, the global consultancys creative marketing services unit. In September Droga will transition from his day-to-day leadership into a broader strategic role as vice chair of Accenture. Within only four years, Droga led Songs growth from $12.5 billion to $19 billion in revenue, all while winning 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. Droga came to Accenture back in 2019, after Accenture Interactive acquired his ad agency Droga5. At the time, Droga explained that brand communications had gone far beyond just advertising, seeping into every time and place a consumer experiences a brandfrom ads to retail to e-commerce. He knew the combination of Accentures scale and digital expertise and Droga5s strategy and creativity would be in high demand. CEOs, CMOs, and CIOs all need to be on the same page, because they all affect each other now, he said at the time. This isnt a nice-to-have. I think its going to be crucial for any brand going forward. This is future-proofing. Six years later, many brands are now just coming to terms with this. When Accenture Interactive was rebranded as Song, Droga (who was named CEO in 2021) saw it as another future-proofing move, to make sure the companys structure matched client demands. Were now more in line with each other, working on solutions together, same P&L, so theres no competing forces getting in the way, he said. I think thats the only way to step up and deliver what clients need. Given how Song has built up its capabilitiesmaking 62 acquisitions since fiscal 2010it’s clear Droga has built an absolute powerhouse across creativity, design, technology, AI, data, and strategy into one connected platform. I talked to him about how AI was transforming the advertising industry on Fast Companys Brand New World podcast back in February. As part of the transition, Ndidi Oteh, who currently serves as the Americas lead for Accenture Song, will become the CEO of Accenture Song, the company said. Nick Law, current creative chairperson for Accenture Song, will become the creative strategy and experience lead. I spoke with Droga on Wednesday about his not-really retirement, how the company has evolved most under his leadership, and what his next chapter looks like. Fast Company: OK, lets start with the most obvious question: Why this move and why now? David Droga: Well, because I felt like we had our we had great momentum, and I had the right leadership team. That sort of gave me the belief that if I was going to, step into something new, or retireor notthat I wasn’t abandoning ship. We’re ready for the next phase. Assembling the team was probably the most important part. One consistent thing through my career is I’ve always been in a rush to prove things out, not just sort of sit around and wait for things to happen. You’ve got to seize opportunity, and try and live up to it. You never really finish doing what you set out to do, but you can certainly hit benchmarks along the way. Then eventually, you feel like it’s got its own momentum. And then you can throw yourself into trying different things, as well. But I certainly proved what I wanted to prove to myself and to the broader audience that creative leadership can really move an industry, a company, forward. And it’s more of a necessity of leadership now than an accoutrement. Back in 2022 when Accenture Interactive was rebranded Song, we talked a lot about spreading creativity to more areas of business problem solving. How has the company evolved most significantly since then? Across broad Accenture, I know they see our creativity and abilities as an advantage. The scale of broad Accenture is vast. It is seen as very much a tech-led company with consulting and operations at the heart of it, and now that they see the power of infusing creativity into that, we can do even more. For me, the real validation and excitement is when we can do things that only Song can do, which is infusing that creativity across every facet of the customers business. Yes, there’s marketing, but we can now take that consistency to the commerce platforms, and then we can also do that with the service, and we can do that in design, and with data and AI. I see we’re actually proving that out, not just from how much we’re growing, but putting our best intentions and experience into it, and I’m seeing that woven into what we’re doing for clients. We’re not pigeonholed into one dimension of our clients’ needs. What particular pieces of work or projects stand out as highlights that embody those capabilities? Well, you can go from the Coinbase (2022 Super Bowl ad) and the Sydney Opera House work as more traditional advertising. Then theres amazing digital work, which is, like, you know, the Gatorade digital redesign, or the IKEA work where people can resell their old stuff back on the IKEA platform. It’s not just the creative idea. I always say if you look at our very best ideas, is that a marketing idea? Is it a commerce idea? Is it a design idea? Is it a sustainability idea? No, it’s about the ability to make them all come together. I’ve always been trying to prove out not just the worth of creativity, but the different canvases and dimensions where it can show up. I’m a creative person to the marrow, and the best way to prove the worth and value of creativity is by making a sustainable business where we’re growing, where our client work is working, where people have opportunities, and people are excited by what we represent. But it’s also difficult. Forging a new path is intimidating, and sometimes you stumble and fail. Ive said this before, but I’m more afraid of repetition than I am a failure. OK, speaking of forging new paths, this sounds like a sort-of, not-really retirement. Whats next for you? What does a vice chair do? Im still participating. I’m a builder and a worker, and I like to do things. So I’m going to step out of leading this enterprise and being caught up in the day to day operation, and now I can sort of cherry pick and spend time with the things that I think are going to move us forward. I think, had I just retired, its probably too abrupt for someone (like me) who’s probably like a sharkyou die if you stop moving. I don’t have aspirations to play golf and sit on a beach for rest of my life, but I also did want to just take stock. My oldest daughter just started college, for example. So I wanted to be able to ground myself and think about how I can contribute in these other ways. And it’s probably saving me from just playing tennis and pouring tequila over my head.
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E-Commerce
Fast Company is the official media partner of Summit Detroit. At Summit events, unlikely pairings of innovative yet seemingly disconnected people regularly take the stage. In the past, Summit attendees have heard Kendrick Lamar and Quentin Tarantino discuss their creative processes; investor Brad Gerstner do a deep dive into Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahis background and upbringing; and Al Gore and actor and entrepreneur Jaden Smith unite over their work combating the climate crisis. This signature feature of Summit events will be no different at Summit Detroit this June 58. Summit becomes the conduit for all of these amazing intersections to happen, says Summit CEO Jody Levy. Check out just some of the unique pairings coming to Summit Detroit: Picking winners in the AI arms race with Brad Keywell and Dick Costolo Venture investor and former Twitter CEO Dick Costolo and serial entrepreneur Brad Keywell will share the criteria they use to evaluate AI startups, the signals that separate hype from substance, and what most investors get wrong about the space. They will also reflect on the broader implications of AI: the good, the bad, and the potentially catastrophic. How autonomous vehicles, reusable rockets, and humanoid robots will define our solar system for the next 200 years with Franz von Holzhausen and Kiko Dontchev In their first-ever stage conversation, Franz von Holzhausen, chief designer at Tesla, and Kiko Dontchev, SpaceXs VP of launch, will discuss innovations in revolutionizing transportation, manufacturing, and sustainable design. A new era of creative leadership with LP Giobbi and Ivy Ross Ivy Ross, Googles VP of design and a trailblazer in neuroaestheticsthe exploration of how the brain responds to artmoderates a deep dive with LP Giobbi, DJ, pianist, and founder of Femme House. Together, they’ll explore how music, design, and science are converging to rewire how we create, connect, and lead. Symbols, systems, and the battle for public imagination with Shepard Fairey and Hank Willis Thomas Two of the most influential impact- and mission-focused artists of our time, Shepard Fairey and Hank Willis Thomas, explore the power of visual language in public areas and its ability to disrupt power, reclaim space, and challenge dominant narratives in a time when truth feels contested. The future of ownership, wealth, and economic power in America with Dr. Bernice A. King, Ashley Bell, and Dhani Jones Dr. Bernice A. King, CEO of The King Center; Ashley Bell, founder and CEO of fintech platform Ready Life; and former NFL linebacker Dhani Jones will discuss the National Black Bank Foundation, which pioneers a new financial model merging economic justice with investment opportunity. The funny thing about being human with Lori Gottlieb and Ben Gleib As the voice behind The New York Times Ask the Therapist column and the bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, Lori Gottlieb has helped millions rethink their inner narratives. Gottlieb will join comedian and cultural critic Ben Gleib to explore the hidden threads of identity, self-decepton, and transformation. This conversation will offer a disarmingly funny and powerfully clarifying account of our mysterious inner lives and our capacity to shape them. Why creativity still matters in an AI world with Ivy Ross, Eames Demetrios, and Fast Companys Mark Wilson As generative AI transforms how we build, communicate, and imagine, the role of human creativity has never been more vital. In a time when algorithms can mimic aesthetics and automate storytelling, what distinguishes truly meaningful work? This conversation brings together Googles Ivy Ross and designer Eames Demetrios to explore how creativity isnt being replaced, its being redefined. Moderated by Fast Companys global design editor Mark Wilson, this session will delve into why imagination, intuition, and emotion remain irreplaceable tools in shaping beauty, connection, and culture and why design thinking must not only keep pace with AI, but chart the course forward. Learn more about Summit and apply to attend Summit Detroit this June 5-8, 2025. Tickets start at $4,750.
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E-Commerce
A German court ruled against a Peruvian farmer Wednesday in a landmark case that claimed global warming fueled by energy company RWE‘s historical greenhouse gas emissions put his home at risk. Farmer and mountain guide Saśl Luciano Lliuya said glaciers above his hometown of Huaraz are melting, increasing the risk of catastrophic flooding. RWE, which has never operated in Peru, denied legal responsibility, arguing that climate change is a global issue caused by many contributors. Experts said the case had the potential to set a significant precedent in the fight to hold major polluters accountable for climate change. Here’s a look at other climate cases being watched closely. An environmental group has asked the Dutch Supreme Court to uphold a landmark lower court ruling that ordered energy company Shell to cut carbon emissions by net 45% by 2030, compared to 2019 levels. That ruling was overturned in November by an appeals courta defeat for the Dutch arm of Friends of the Earth and other environmental groups, which had hailed the original 2021 ruling as a victory for the climate. Climate activists have scored several courtroom victories, including in 2015, when a court in The Hague ordered the government to cut emissions by at least 25% by the end of 2020 from benchmark 1990 levels. The Dutch Supreme Court upheld that ruling five years ago. ___ The United Nations’ top court held two weeks of hearings in December into what countries worldwide are legally required to do to combat climate change and help vulnerable nations fight its impacts. The case was spurred by a group of island nations that fear they could simply disappear under rising sea waters, prompting the U.N. General Assembly to ask the International Court of Justice for an opinion on the obligations of States in respect of climate change. Any decision in the case, the largest in the court’s history, would be nonbinding advice and could not directly force wealthy nations to actthough it could serve as the basis for other legal actions, including domestic lawsuits. In another advisory opinion requested by small island nations, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea last year said carbon emissions qualify as marine pollution and countries must take steps to mitigate and adapt to their adverse effects. ___ Colombia and Chile are awaiting an advisory opinion from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on whether countries are responsible for climate change harms and, if so, what their obligations are to respond on human rights grounds. A four-day hearing was held this month in the Brazilian state of Amazonas, and an opinion is expected by the end of the year. Much of the testimony focused on Indigenous rights in Latin America, including whether industries violate their rights to life and to defend their land from environmental harm. ___ Dozens of U.S. states and local governments have filed lawsuits alleging that fossil fuel companies misled the public about how their products could contribute to climate change, claiming billions of dollars in damage from more frequent and intense storms, flooding, rising seas, and extreme heat. In March the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit from Republican attorneys general in 19 states aimed at blocking climate change suits against the oil and gas industry from Democratic-led states. And state supreme courts in Massachusetts, Hawaii, and Colorado have rejected attempts by oil companies to dismiss lawsuits, allowing them to proceed in lower courts. Even so, the Department of Justice recently sued Hawaii and Michigan to prevent the states from seeking damages from fossil fuel companies in state court for harms caused by climate change. The DOJ also sued New York and Vermont, challenging their climate superfund laws that would force fossil fuel companies to pay into state-based funds based on previous greenhouse gas emissions. ___ The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
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E-Commerce
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