NEW YORK David Droga is leaving Publicis, where he is global creative director, to start his own venture, which will be backed by the Publicis Groupe holding company, the agency confirmed.
"This is exciting and positive news for David, Publicis and the holding company," said Publicis North America chairman and CEO Susan Gianinno. "As a creative company, it's imperative that we explore new approaches to this increasingly fertile creative communications environment. David's legacy at Publicis has been to push the limits creatively, which will continue."
Gianinno said that it has not been determined if Droga will be replaced in the worldwide role, but she will begin searching for a North American chief creative officer.
An Australian, Droga, 37, joined the agency in December 2002 from Publicis sibling Saatchi & Saatchi in London. Neither he nor Publicis Groupe CEO Maurice Lévy was available for comment. The nature of Droga's startup could not be immediately ascertained.
Both executives were quoted in a statement issued by Publicis, which referred to the new venture as simply "a unique creative company."
"It is imperative for us, as a creative company, to explore, innovate and push the limits in what is an expanded and ever more dynamic, creative communications environment," said Lévy, in the statement. "David Droga has always pushed the limits creatively and is the ideal person for this fertile new creative arena."
Said Droga, "Basically, I have reached a point in my career where I want to establish a blueprint for my own creative business. I am very excited about this new endeavour. But my first priority is to see through several large projects and ensure a smooth transition."
The network's largest clients include L'Oreal, Nestle, Procter & Gamble, Sanofi-Aventis and T-Mobile. It also handles business from Allied Domecq, Heineken and Coca-Cola.