After an illustrious 37-year career in advertising, legend David Droga is stepping down as CEO of Accenture Song and retiring. Under his leadership, Song grew 8% to $20 billion in FY25, up from $19 billion the previous year. A fitting closing act for one of the industry’s most creative leaders.
In this second conversation with David, we reflect on his career, the lessons he’s learned, and what he would do if he were starting from scratch. From creativity’s place at the heart of business to the power of simple ideas, David shares the philosophies, failures, and insights that have defined his journey.
Timestamps
00:00:00 - Start 00:02:45 - Lessons from being CEO of Accenture Song 00:06:01 - Why creativity needs to be at the forefront of businesses 00:11:01 - How technology can enable creativity, rather than kill it 00:18:42 - What is David Droga most proud of leaving as his legacy 00:27:40 - What what David Droga do if he were starting from scratch 00:29:59 - What are the traits of David Droga’s favourite clients 00:34:59 - What trends are overrated and underrated according to David Droga 00:40:52 - David Droga ideas that never saw the light of day 00:43:58 - The business that almost came before Droga5 00:46:49 - The size of the idea is 50x more important than the budget 00:48:10 - Droga’s best campaign on a small budget 00:56:31 - Power of building on a campaign platform 01:02:06 - The power of simple ideas 01:07:48 - The most "Aussie" thing Droga has ever done
