The distance between a Redfern warehouse and a corner office in New York is not as far as it might appear on a map, provided one has the right combination of ambition, timing, and what colleagues invariably described as an ability to bring people together — even people who were, technically, competitors.
Mark Green, who traveled that distance over the course of two decades and arrived at the global chief executive role at Droga5 only last October, died of a heart attack in New York on Saturday. He was 53.
Mr. Green co-founded The Monkeys, the Australian independent agency, in 2006 with Justin Drape and Scott Nowell. The shop was acquired by Accenture in 2017 for $63 million and was folded into the Droga5 brand late last year, part of the ongoing consolidation that has made the holding company organizational chart resemble something between a family tree and a subway map.
In taking over Droga5, Mr. Green succeeded its founder, David Droga, a fellow Australian whose name remains on the door. (The advertising industry has always had a complicated relationship with founders who depart but leave their signatures behind.)
An Accenture Song spokesman said the company acknowledged Mr. Green's passing "with tremendous sadness," noting that he would be remembered "not only as the visionary that he was, but for his generosity, his humour, and his empathy."
Mr. Green also served six years as chairman of Advertising Council Australia. Michael Rebelo, the current chairman and chief executive of Publicis Groupe in Australia and New Zealand, recalled that the two men had once shared a partial partition at Saatchi & Saatchi and survived on David Jones vouchers when their paychecks ran short.
Under Mr. Green's leadership, The Monkeys produced work that embedded itself in Australian culture, including the annual lamb campaign for Meat & Livestock Australia and the Sydney Opera House campaign "Play It Safe," which won a Grand Prix at Cannes.
He is survived by his wife, Rachel, and their two children, Ari and Gisele.
Original story published in lbbonline.com: "Droga5 Global CEO Mark Green Dies Aged 53 -- LBB"