Droga5, part of Accenture Song, has named three new global leaders as it strengthens its international network. Julia Albu, Lauren Tomlinson and Ruben Mercadal have been appointed to newly created positions spanning operations, account leadership and production.
Effective immediately, Albu becomes global chief transformation and operations officer, Tomlinson takes on executive director of global accounts, and Mercadal moves into the role of global head of production. All three will be based at Droga5’s New York headquarters and report to global CEO Mark Green. The agency operates across eight markets including New York, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Dublin, London, São Paulo and Tokyo.
Career backgrounds
Albu steps up from her most recent role as chief of staff to Droga5 founder and Accenture Song CEO David Droga. She first joined the agency in 2006 as an account director before holding senior positions at BBH and Anomaly. Returning to Droga5 in 2015, she has since led accounts such as Harley-Davidson, Mailchimp and Johnsonville, before overseeing creative operations from 2019.
Tomlinson was previously head of new business at Droga5 New York, where she secured wins for Bosch, HBO Max, Xbox, Dove and Tourism Australia. She joined the agency in 2016 and has led campaigns for IHOP, Christie’s and Prudential. Earlier in her career, she held account roles at Adam&Eve DDB and other agencies.
Mercadal expands his remit after serving as New York co-head of production since 2022. Since joining in 2016, he has overseen work including The New York Times’ Cannes Lions Grand Prix-winning “The Truth Is Worth It” campaign, as well as recent projects for Coors, Xbox, Hennessy and Accenture.
Building a global leadership team
The appointments follow a series of senior hires as Droga5 establishes its global leadership structure. Recent additions include global head of reputation and creative excellence Ann-Christine Diaz, worldwide CCO Pelle Sjoenell, global chief strategy officer Emma Montgomery, and Green himself, who was previously CEO of The Monkeys and Accenture Song Australia and New Zealand.
Green said the expanded leadership team was designed to connect Droga5’s offices worldwide with the creative and technology resources of Accenture Song. “At Droga5, creativity has always been our superpower, and with Accenture Song, we have technology and data on our side to propel our ideas further,” he said.
“Julia is a true go-getter, and her unique insight into both the worlds of Droga5 and Accenture Song will be key. Lauren has a track record of building longstanding and fruitful client partnerships. And Ruben brings unmatched creative passion and prowess for solving the trickiest of production problems. We now have a full bench of leaders who have the vision, expertise and drive to take Droga5 into its next chapter.”
Top image: Ruben Mercadal, Julia Albu, Lauren Tomlinson and Ann-Christine Diaz