Droga5 Promotes 3 Key Executives to Address Growth

Droga5 has promoted three executives to address growth issues and expanding capabilities. Susie Nam has been upped to chief executive officer of Droga5 the Americas while Dan Gonda has been promoted to president of Droga5 New York and Sean Lackey has been elevated to global chief marketing officer. Nam, Gonda and Lackey have helped Droga5 grow over the years, and they were a part of the creative agency before it was acquired by Accenture Interactive in 2019. The agency states that the three will be instrumental in defining how the agency evolves as it continues its blending with Accenture Interactive. “Something we take pride in at Droga5 is empowering our people to grow from within and take the agency to new heights; Susie, Dan and Sean embody the Droga5 culture and DNA and have been instrumental in our success,” Droga5 global chief executive officer Sarah Thompson said in a statement. “From extending our unique model with Accenture Interactive across several markets and clients to fostering a generous and ambitious creative culture, they will continue to be instrumental in our success as we expand and innovate. They are fantastic partners who complement one another and believe in the power and quality of our creative product above all.” The new positions Nam joined Droga5 in 2009 and has overseen the company’s growth from a staff of 50 to 500 people. She was most recently global COO, which was a new position at the time, and helped bring in some of the agency’s biggest clients as well as promoting the agency’s global expansion, including its launch of a Tokyo office earlier this year. In her new role, Nam will be responsible for leading Droga5 New York, supporting client business across North and South America and ensuring the agency maintains its creative edge as it evolves into new global markets. Nam has also been a part of the agency’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, serving as an advocate for underrepresented talent across the agency, including Droga5’s intercultural practice, a multicultural marketing effort. She is a member of Adcolor’s board of directors and was named in the Adweek 50 in 2017. Gonda joined Droga5 in 2013 was most recently managing director, and before that was group account director, head of account management. He has built up the management department while establishing and maintaining long-standing client relationships across the agency’s brand roster. Aside from his business development efforts, Gonda was also an instrumental part in campaigns including Newcastle Brown Ale’s “If We Made It,” Facebook’s “Never Lost” and Mattress Firm’s “Junk Sleep.” As president, Gonda will be responsible for overseeing client relationships and business operations for Droga5 New York, leading the agency’s growth with new capabilities and evolving best practices across the agency. Lackey first joined Droga5 in 2013, leading business development. He spent time at McCann before rejoining the agency as chief marketing officer in 2019. Lackey helped lead Droga5 to its best years for new business in 2020 and 2021, with client wins including Allstate, Molson Coors, Kimberly-Clark and Petco. In his new role as global CMO, Lackey will be a key architect of how Droga5 grows in new regions and presents itself globally. Droga5 went through a major leadership change in August when founder David Droga, who sold the agency to Accenture Interactive in 2019, took over as Accenture Interactive CEO from Brian Whipple. Droga5 offices in New York, London and Tokyo and counts Allstate, Amazon, Biofreeze, Chase, Essentia, The Hershey Company, Kimberly-Clark, Meta, Mattress Firm, The New York Times, Petco and others as clients. Adweek named Droga5 its Agency of the Decade for the 2010s. David Droga Named Accenture Interactive CEO and Creative Chair, Succeeding Brian Whipple