Droga5 Announces Major Leadership Promotions

Droga5, part of Accenture Interactive, announced today that it promoted three of its key executives: Susie Nam to chief executive officer of Droga5 the Americas, Dan Gonda to president of Droga5 New York and Sean Lackey to global chief marketing officer. All three leaders have played critical roles in shaping Droga5’s business and strong creative culture and will be instrumental in defining how the agency evolves into the future through its relentless drive for creative innovation and excellence. The promotions come on the heels of agency growth, increased global opportunities and expanded capabilities as part of Accenture Interactive. All three appointments are effective immediately. 

“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,” said Droga5 global chief executive officer Sarah Thompson. “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. I can’t wait to see what they do next.”

Since joining the agency in 2009, Susie Nam has overseen the company’s growth from a staff of 50 to 500 people and has been a critical driver in designing the culture that delivers breakthrough ideas and advances best-in-class talent. Most recently as global COO, Susie helped bring in some of the agency’s biggest clients and shepherded countless strategic and creative campaigns to tremendously successful launches, all while playing a vital role in the agency’s global expansion. Susie has also been integral in Droga5’s unwavering commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, serving as a fierce advocate for underrepresented talent across levels inside the agency and the industry at large. Susie has deepened this commitment with the agency’s answer to multicultural marketing: the development of an intercultural practice. She is a member of ADCOLOR’s Board of Directors, a Campaign US 40 over 40 honouree (2020), an Aspen Institute First Movers Fellow (2020), a part of the Gold House A100 (2018) and Adweek 50 (2017). In her new role as CEO of the Americas, Susie 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 and canvases. 

Dan Gonda joined Droga5 in 2013 and has held the roles of group account director, head of account management and, most recently, managing director. With over 20 years of industry experience, Dan has been a guiding force behind Droga5’s position as one of the industry’s illustrious creative forces. During his time at Droga5, Dan has built a world-class account management department while establishing and maintaining deep long-standing client relationships across the agency’s brand roster. In addition to being a vital leader in the agency’s business-development efforts, Dan also successfully led the agency to some of its most celebrated campaigns, including Newcastle Brown Ale’s “If We Made It,” Facebook’s “Never Lost” and Mattress Firm’s “Junk Sleep,” among others. As President, Dan will be responsible for overseeing client relationships and business operations for Droga5 New York, leading the agency’s growth with new capabilities as part of Accenture Interactive and evolving best practices across the agency. 

Sean Lackey first joined the agency in 2013 and spent nearly five years defining and expanding Droga5’s capabilities while driving revenue growth as head of business development. His passion for growth, collaboration and staying at the forefront of the industry helped drive the agency’s innovation and expanded capabilities for Droga5’s clients. Since re-joining the agency as chief marketing officer in 2019, Sean’s leadership led Droga5 to its best years for new business in 2020 and 2021, with client wins including Molson Coors, Kimberly-Clark, Petco and many more. More recently, Sean was named one of Ad Age’s 2021 40 Under 40 executives in tech, marketing and media. In his new role as global CMO, Sean will be a key architect of how Droga5 stays true to its essence in new regions while continuing to further bring the best of Droga5 and Accenture Interactive to clients around the world.