The Monkeys Melbourne has confirmed the departures of CEO Paul McMillan, CCO Ant Keogh and CSO Michael Derepas after seven years with the agency.
A spokesperson told Mediaweek: “We can confirm that Ant Keogh, Paul McMillan and Michael Derepas are departing The Monkeys, and we wish them all the best for their future endeavours.”
McMillan, Keogh and Derepas joined the Accenture Song creative agency from Clemenger BBDO Melbourne in 2017.
Their departures come as The Monkeys undergoes a transition in its leadership structure. In August, Mark Green was appointed global CEO of Droga5, based in New York City, succeeding Sarah Thompson as the Accenture Song creative agency plans for international expansion.
Matt Michael and Bronwyn van der Merwe
Earlier this month, Bronwyn van der Merwe was appointed Accenture Song lead for Australia and New Zealand. With over 20 years’ experience in the design and innovation space, she 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.
Colter, Fein, and Geer at Mediaweek’s Next of the Best Awards
In May, Initiative’s three most senior leaders – CEO Melissa Fein, MD Sam Geer, and chief strategy and product officer Chris Colter – surprised the industry when news of their departure from the Mediabrands agency for Accenture Song broke.
At the time, Mediabrands CEO Mark Coad confirmed the news to staff in an email sent. He wrote: “In true industry fashion – this news is spreading faster than we’d like – so I am writing to tell you this news in the hope that you read it here first.”
See also: Updated: Melissa Fein, Sam Geer, and Chris Colter leave Initiative for Accenture Song