Accenture appoints Justin Mowday as New Zealand leader

New Zealand’s Accenture Song leader and marketing veteran Justin Mowday has been appointed by the professional services firm as its next country managing director.

Professional services firm Accenture has appointed Justin Mowday as its next boss for New Zealand, replacing former Zag CEO Nick Mulcahy from the start of March.

Mowday has led the local branch of creative wing Accenture Song for the past two and a half years, and will now also join the A/NZ executive committee, while Mulcahy has been at the helm since 2022, having overseen rocketing local revenues during his tenure.

“This appointment affirms our commitment to embracing the substantial opportunities we see in New Zealand,” stated Accenture A/NZ chief executive Peter Burns. Our promise is to bring the best of our global expertise to our clients, coupled with the strength of a local team who have a deep understanding of the market – its culture and its people. Importantly, Justin is a proud Kiwi. He is dedicated to playing a role in helping the country reach its full potential.”

Mowday’s ascension marks a somewhat unusual trajectory in the marketing/consulting middle ground, having basically spent the entirety of his three-decade career in Adland. Prior to heading up Accenture Song, Mowday served as the chief executive and Group CEO of DDB in New Zealand over a decade, with earlier stints at DraftFCB, TBWA and Saatchi & Saatchi among creative firms. Since crossing in 2021, he is also credited with establishing Monkeys Aotearoa.

Burns however pointed specifically to the value of such a resume; “Justin’s professional background has instilled in him a relentless focus on the customer, and he is committed to driving value for our clients by bringing together data, technology, industry expertise and creativity. His 30-year career has given him deep insight into both the private and public sectors in New Zealand and he is already a trusted advisor to many business and government leaders.”

Mowday replaces Mulcahy after two years in the top role, the latter having first joined the firm as head of technology upon Accenture’s 2020 acquisition of home-grown SAP specialist Zag, where he had spent over two decades including half that time as CEO. Since the purchase, Accenture’s local business has boomed, jumping from $66 million in revenues to pass the $200 million mark in 2022 and growing by a further 18 percent over the past twelve months.

“What an amazing time to be helping organisations in New Zealand get future-fit,” Mowday said of his new role. “The depth of talent, the breadth of expertise, the strategic thinking and innovative solutions we bring to the table are truly world-class. Being able to bring everything that Accenture’s global capabilities have to offer – technology, talent, scale and experience – and then shaping and adding to that with our local firepower is a tremendous opportunity.”