Droga5 ANZ Bolsters Creative Department with Key Appointments, Strengthening Trans-Tasman Creative Firepower

Droga5 ANZ, part of Accenture Song, continues to build on its regional creative leadership, today announcing the elevation of Creative Directors Christie Cooper and James Conner to Executive Creative Directors, effective immediately. Under the direction of Co-Chief Creative Officers Barbara Humphries and Damon Stapleton, the agency is also promoting four additional creative leaders to strengthen its ANZ creative department.

Cooper and Conner were part of the team behind the recent Grand Clio-winning Benee Bagels campaign for ASB, and along with picking up metal at all the major shows, their work has influenced legislation, been cited in academic research, and made a lasting mark on culture.

Over nearly 20 years working together – across DDB, Colenso, The Monkeys, and now Droga5 ANZ – Cooper and Conner have helped shape campaigns for some of New Zealand’s biggest brands, including ASB, Meridian, Asahi, Lion, SKY TV, Westpac, Volkswagen, McDonald’s, Pink Batts, BNZ, Burger King, and Cadbury. They’ve also worked on award-winning campaigns like Steinlager’s Deep Dive, BMW’s Reverse April Fools, Paw Justice: Animal Strike, and Don’t Trademe.

In further appointments, Associate Creative Directors Lennie Galloway, Thomas Gledhill, Max Rapley and Danny Pattison, have been promoted to Creative Directors – reinforcing Droga5’s commitment to nurturing talent and delivering world-class creativity across the region.

Creative duo Galloway and Gledhill were instrumental in delivering ‘We Go There’, the provocative brand relaunch for SBS, and since joining Droga5 in 2024, the pair have delivered standout campaigns for high profile clients including Meat & Livestock Australia. They’ve been collaborating for over a decade, starting their careers at FCB New Zealand where they won Cannes Young Lions as interns. Since then, they’ve collected numerous accolades, including Creative Team of the Year at AWARD. Before Droga5, they spent four years at Goodby Silverstein & Partners in the U.S., working on Cheetos, Lay’s, and Autodesk, and were named Rising Stars of Madison Avenue.

Pattison and Rapley each bring over a decade of experience working with leading brands. Pattison brings an international perspective, having worked in London, and is also an accomplished director and visual artist. Rapley is an alum of The Glue Society and an MBA graduate, blending creative insight with business nous. Both have led purpose-driven campaigns for NRMA Insurance, Telstra, MLA, Crown Resorts, UNICEF, and Uluru Dialogue ­­– and played key roles in Droga5’s recent pitch wins; Tourism Australia and Optus. They’re also AWARD School tutors and Creative Leadership alumni.

The newly appointed Executive Creative Directors and Creative Directors will work alongside Hugh Gurney and Joe Sibley – both promoted to ECDs in December 2024 – to continue pushing creative boundaries and delivering bold, innovative work for clients across the ANZ region.

James Conner, Executive Creative Director, Droga5, ANZ – “We’re honoured to be stepping up as Executive Creative Directors, and excited to support Damon, Barb and CEO Matt Michael in building Droga5’s trans-Tasman creative department, helping shape bold, impactful work across both New Zealand and Australia.”

Christie Cooper, Executive Creative Director, Droga5, ANZ – “We’re excited about the opportunity to work as the creative leads on an impressive portfolio of clients across the ANZ region and we feel really lucky to be a part of such a strong creative team.”

Barbara Humphries, Co-Chief Creative Officer, Droga5 ANZ – “These promotions recognise the incredible talent we have in the business and the lasting impact each of them has made. Having worked closely with them, I know they’ll bring even more creative firepower to our clients across Australia and New Zealand.”

Damon Stapleton, Co-Chief Creative Officer, Droga5 ANZ – “Reshaping the senior creative team puts our borderless creative model into action. With this team in place, we’re set to deliver outsized ideas for ambitious brands across the Tasman.”