Australia – Accenture Song, a technology-powered creative group, has appointed Bronwyn van der Merwe as Accenture Song lead for Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) and Matt Michael as chief executive officer (CEO) of Droga5, an advertising agency under the company.
In their new roles, van der Merwe and Michael is set to lead Accenture Song’s ANZ team in driving growth.
Currently the service practice lead at Accenture Song ANZ, van der Merwe’s new position is effective starting Oct. 15, 2024. She was also the design lead at the company for the Asia-Pacific region. Before working at the company, she served as the vice president of design at Culture Amp. She also established Fjord, a design agency, in Australia.
Meanwhile, Michael’s position is effective starting Dec. 1, 2024, while retaining his leadership in the company’s marketing practice for ANZ. Michael was previously the managing director at The Monkeys, which he held for more than 10 years. He has worked with various brands such as Telstra, Qantas, Amazon, and NRMA Insurance.
Mark Green, global CEO at Droga5, said “This is a great moment for two truly brilliant people, both of whom I have had the pleasure to work with for many years. Bronwyn was part of why I was keen to join forces with 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.”
“It is great to see leaders grow and expand and it has been a privilege working with Matt Michael for over 14 years. Matt’s elevation to CEO of Droga5 in ANZ is an absolute no brainer and a great reward for someone who has been instrumental in the success of not only The Monkeys but Accenture Song as well. I cannot wait to see where Matt can take Droga5 in ANZ and I look forward to continuing our long partnership,” Green added.
“How lucky to be going from strength to strength in ANZ leadership. Bronwyn’s integrated expertise and perspective, coupled with her deep commitment to both our people and our clients, makes her the ideal leader for this next chapter. At the same time, Matt who has a history of leadership and excellence is uniquely poised to lead Droga5, and will shape a local perspective that will undoubtedly have an impact on the agency and its clients globally,” David Droga, global CEO of Accenture Song, said.
“I feel incredibly honoured to have the opportunity to lead Accenture Song’s next chapter, alongside Matt and the rest of the Song leadership team in Australia and New Zealand. We have incredible talent and capabilities in Song, including our recent acquisitions of Fiftyfive5 and The Lumery. The launch of Droga5 in this market will further strengthen our ability to deliver purpose led growth for our clients,” van der Merwe commented.
“The opportunity to work so closely with David and Mark to re-launch Droga5 in Australia and New Zealand is something I couldn’t back away from. 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, here and globally, under the Droga5 moniker. 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,” Michael said.
