Accenture Song has appointed two new leaders who will succeed Mark Green, following his appointment as global CEO of Droga5, and relocation to New York.
Bronwyn van der Merwe has been appointed Accenture Song lead for Australia and New Zealand, effective October 15, 2024. With over 20 years’ experience in the design and innovation space, Bronwyn is currently the Service practice lead at Accenture Song ANZ, having rejoined the company in 2023 after a stint as VP of Design at Culture Amp.
Previously, she established design agency, Fjord, in Australia and went on to build and lead a team of 350, launching studios across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Japan. She then became the design lead for Accenture Interactive, now Song, in the Asia Pacific region.
Matt Michael will step up to the position of CEO Droga5 in Australia and New Zealand from December 1st, following The Monkeys integration into Droga5.
In addition, he will continue to lead the Marketing practice at Accenture Song ANZ, heading up a team of practitioners delivering full-funnel marketing to clients. Michael has been with The Monkeys since 2011, serving as managing director for over 10 years. He has worked closely with a wide range of blue-chip Australian and global clients, including Telstra, Qantas, Amazon and NRMA Insurance. He’s been involved in some of The Monkeys’ most notable work such as Meat & Livestock’s campaigns, Qantas’ I Still Call Australia Home, the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and award-winning work across Telstra and Beam Suntory.
Green 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.”
van der Merwe 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.”
Michael said: “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.”