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Droga5 announces promotions across global network
Barbara Humphries, Matt Michael and Damon Stapleton
Accenture Song’s Droga5 have announced new leadership changes for Australia, Aotearoa and England, to reinvent and reposition the network under global CEO Mark Green.
Current ANZ Executive Creative Director Barbara Humphries and Aotearoa Chief Creative Officer Damon Stapleton have been promoted as co-Chief Creative Officers of Australia and New Zealand.
They will work in conjuction with Matt Michael, CEO of Droga5 ANZ.
Whereas Australia CCO Tara Ford has been named as CCO of Droga5 London. Ford will work closely alongside London CEO Bill Scott and Chief Strategy Officer Will Hodge.
Green says, “It is always great to see people you have worked with closely for many years take on new challenges. With Tara moving to London, we didn’t hesitate to elevate Barb and Damon, and it felt like the perfect opportunity for everyone to advance their careers and bolster the creative pedigree of Droga5 globally.”
Major recognition
Under Ford’s creative leadership, Droga5 ANZ (formerly The Monkeys) has been recognised at all major international award shows, resulting in Agency of the Year accolades for both creativity and effectiveness, along with number one global rankings at Cannes, D&AD and One Show.
As Executive Creative Director at Droga5 (formerly The Monkeys), Humphries has worked closely with Ford, shaping the agency’s creative output, critically on high profile projects including the Cannes Lions Dan Wieden Titanium Grand Prix-winning ‘The First Digital Nation’ for the Tuvaluan Government and Cannes Lions Film Grand Prix-winning ‘Play It Safe’ for The Sydney Opera House.
Decorated leaders
Recently ranked #1 ECD in APAC in the One Show Global Creative Rankings, and joint AWARD Creative Leader of the Year with Ford, Humphries has worked with global brands such as Qantas, UN Women, Nike and has also helped drive the business transformation for NRMA Insurance as part of Accenture Song.
Humphries says, “I’m really proud of the recent momentum as part of The Monkeys, Song and now Droga5, and learning from a creative force like Tara over the past few years has been invaluable. Now, with the opportunity to bring together more of our talented people across three offices, partnering with the brilliant Damon Stapleton and long-time collaborator Matt, I’m super excited about the opportunities ahead of us.”
As Chief Creative Officer of Droga5 Aotearoa, Stapleton has led a dynamic team delivering impactful campaigns for ASB Bank, No Ugly, Meridian Energy, Mazda, Asahi, and Kidscan. With 20-plus years of experience, he has worked with some of the world’s most recognised brands, including McDonald’s, Toyota, Cadbury and Adidas.
A highly decorated creative leader, Stapleton has been named one of the top 20 Chief Creative Officers globally by D&AD and has amassed over 500 international awards, including: 54 D&AD Pencils – and two rare D&AD Black Pencils, 70 Cannes Lions, 11 One Show Gold Pencils, Three Grand Clios, an ADC Black Cube, and eight Grand Prix at Spikes Asia.
Stapleton says, “Droga5 has always been a bastion of world-class creativity, and it makes me proud to be able to work with all the great and talented people of Auckland, Sydney and Melbourne to add to Droga5’s story. Having the larger playing field of Australia and New Zealand with so many more Lego pieces to push creativity forward is always going to be fun. On top of that, I get to partner with somebody as massively talented as Barb which makes that journey even more special. I look forward to great ideas and making great stuff.”
Already the year has got off to a fast start with new work and new wins around the world, hot on the heels of 2024’s highlights: expansion of the agency into Australia and New Zealand, and Brazil.
