Accenture Song appoints new ANZ leaders ahead of The Monkeys to Droga5 rebrand
Bronwyn van der Merwe has been appointed to take the helm of Accenture Song’s ANZ practice, replacing The Monkeys co-founder Mark Green, with the agency to come under the Droga5 brand per early December. Matt Michael will then assume the position of CEO of Droga5 in Australia and New Zealand.
One of Australia’s most storied creative agencies, The Monkeys sold to Accenture in 2017 as part of the tech consulting powerhouse’s aggressive push into the media domain, and will now be rebadged under the Droga5 banner from December.
As part of that move, Mark Green has taken on the global CEO role of Droga5, acquired by Accenture in 2019, with Australian founder David Droga later being promoted to CEO of Accenture Song.
The latest shuffle sees Bronwyn van der Merwe – who only returned to the firm last year as customer functions lead after earlier departing for Culture Amp – take on Green’s previous role as head of Accenture Song in Australia and New Zealand, while the Monkeys Sydney-based managing director Matt Michael becomes CEO of Droga5’s regional operations once the rebrand takes effect.
“Bronwyn’s integrated expertise and perspective, coupled with her deep commitment to both our people and clients, makes her the ideal leader for this next chapter,” stated Droga. “At the same time, Matt has a history of leadership and excellence, and is uniquely poised to lead Droga5 and shape a local perspective that will undoubtedly have a global impact on the agency and its clients.”
Bronwyn van der Merwe
A more than two-decade industry veteran, van der Merwe first came to Accenture via its purchase of international digital marketing firm Fjord, which she established and led in Australia and then APAC after earlier working in senior UX roles at the BBC. Previously Accenture Song’s APAC design lead before her one-year break, she has most recently overseen the firm’s service practice.
“I feel incredibly honoured to have the opportunity to lead Accenture Song’s next chapter,” van der Merwe said of her new challenge. “We have incredible talent and capabilities in Song, including our recent acquisitions of Fiftyfive5 and The Lumery in Sydney and Melbourne. The launch of Droga5 in this market will further strengthen our ability to deliver purpose-led growth for our clients.”
In a touching response, Green said van der Merwe was part of the reason he was convinced to sell to Accenture in the first place; “Seeing what Bronwyn helped create with Fjord in Australia was a brilliant insight into the potential of creativity, consulting and technology. Bronwyn will lead Accenture Song into a new era and the team in Australia and New Zealand are in good hands.”
Matt Michael
Michael has meanwhile been with The Monkeys since 2011, with more than a decade previously spent at IBM, including as the tech giant’s brand strategy & media manager for growth markets. During his time at the agency, he has worked closely with high-profile clients such as Telstra, Qantas, and the NMRA, and will also continue to oversee Song’s regional marketing practice.
“I look forward to building on everything we have done over the past 18 years with The Monkeys to take the business to new heights under the Droga5 moniker,” Michael stated. “It is an exciting time for Song and I look forward to working with Bron to continue taking our full-service suite of services and bring the provocative thinking and creativity of our outstanding team to our clients.”