“Dave’s Fast, But I’m Faster” Song’s Successor Tells Droga

Looking David Droga in the eye, his successor as CEO of Accenture Song was confident about what she’d do differently: “Dave’s fast. But I’m faster.”

The group of press on board the Accenture yacht in the Cannes harbour on Wednesday morning chuckled, but no-one more than Dave himself. He’s met his match in Ndidi Oteh, and said there’s no-one he’d be happier to whom to hand over the reigns.

“I thought I’d only be in the job for three years. It’s now because everyone in C-suite is the right person for the job … and because you exist,” he said to Ndidi.

Ndidi recalled the moment she was told she had to present to David, or as she put it, “tell him a story.” He was curious about calm, considered Ndidi from the first meeting. He got to know her more, and found his successor.

But Ndidi isn’t new to Song. She joined Accenture in 2011, and, after serving in leadership roles across strategy, technology, and brand experience, most recently ran the Americas business.

Aboard the boat, Ndidi said she’s grateful to inherit a business that is already fruitful, but told LBB she’ll measure her success by the way she’s treated people.

In addition to Ndidi's promotion, former Apple and R/GA exec, and fellow Australian expat, Nick Law will become creative strategy and experience lead at Accenture Song. David will transition to the vice chair of Accenture role effective September 1st 2025, six years after he sold his agency, Droga5, to Accenture.

Since the sale of the namesake agency, David helped build Accenture Song into a powerhouse. He led the rebrand to Accenture Song, unified over 40 acquisitions under the new name, and grew revenue grew from $12.5 billion to $19 billion, making it as the world’s largest tech-powered creative company.

In March, he said AI won't "eviscerate and erase the need for humans and thinkers and creators … it's going to replace the [bits in] the middle across a swathe of things."

“Not all creativity is profit, not all creativity and jobs are worth saving," he said.

The quasi-celebrity adman gets stopped in the streets for his autograph at Cannes, but that won’t stop any time soon; he’s not “retiring retiring” in his new capacity as vice chair.

On his way to the festival this year, Dave found 29 Cannes Lions lanyards. He’s been to a few in his time. He described the moment of reflection as “the most tragic, slow motion destruction of my hairline.”

But pointing to the sea behind him earlier today, he joked about his plans for Cannes 2026. “Next year, I’ll be sailing by on a chairman’s yacht.”