Mark Green, Droga5 Global CEO and Co-Founder of The Monkeys, Dies at 53

Mark Green, the global chief executive of advertising agency Droga5, died of a heart attack in New York City on Saturday. He was 53. Accenture, the consulting group that owns Droga5, described the death as sudden and unexpected. News of it was first published on Monday by Storyboard18, and trade outlets in Australia and Britain carried Accenture's statement through the day.

"It is with tremendous sadness that we acknowledge that Mark Green passed away from a heart attack on Saturday in New York City at the age of 53. It was sudden and unexpected," an Accenture spokesperson said.

The Monkeys years

Green co-founded the Sydney agency The Monkeys in 2006, together with Justin Drape and Scott Nowell. The agency grew into one of the best known independent creative shops in Australia. Accenture acquired The Monkeys in 2017, and the business later took the Droga5 ANZ name, forming the Australian and New Zealand arm of the Droga5 network.

After the sale, Green stayed inside the Accenture group. He served as president of Accenture Song in Australia and New Zealand, the role he held before taking the top Droga5 job. Away from the agency, he chaired Advertising Council Australia, the national industry body, for six years.

The move to New York

In 2024, Green relocated to New York with his family after being appointed global chief executive of Droga5. The move put an Australian agency founder in charge of one of the most recognised creative brands in the Accenture Song group, and made him one of the most senior Australian executives in world advertising.

What happens now

Mumbrella, the Australian media and marketing title, described Green in its headline as an Australian advertising legend. Coverage of his death ran across the trade press of three countries on Monday, in B&T, Mediaweek, Mumbrella and LBB Online, as well as Storyboard18 in India.

Accenture said Droga5's existing leadership team would oversee continuity for employees and clients while the company considers how to honour Green. No successor was named in the statement.

"He was a trusted mentor and friend to many, and his loss will be felt deeply by our entire family at Droga5, Accenture and Accenture Song," the spokesperson said.

Green is survived by his wife Rachel and their two teenage children, Ari and Gisele.