Executive creative director Shelley Smoler is being elevated to chief creative officer of Droga5 London, part of Accenture Interactive. This marks the first time a Droga5 creative department will be led by a female CCO. Smoler succeeds David Kolbusz who is set to depart in mid-May, reportedly for a U.S.-based venture that has not yet been disclosed.
Smoler joined Droga5 London in 2017 with her creative partner, Raph Basckin, as its first creative director. In the span of four years, she’s risen to group creative director, executive creative director and now CCO.
Smoler will lead Droga5 London’s commitment to creating purposeful, cultural defining work across new mediums with creativity and brand purpose at the core. Smoler has been at the helm of Droga5 London’s award-winning creative work for brands including Amazon, Brewdog, Diet Coke and Vestiaire Collective. Recently Droga5 London received The British Arrows Agency of the Year for 2021-’22.
In addition to overseeing creative for Droga5 London, Smoler is an advocate for developing and nurturing up-and-coming talent in the industry. Throughout her career, she’s built creative teams and working environments that fosters motivation, inspiration and confidence to express ideas.
Smoler has a track record of brave work that taps into culture and society. The Amazon Superbowl commercial “Before Alexa” received an Emmy-nomination. Her work for Brewdog as the world’s first carbon-negative brewery celebrated the company’s commitment to the environment and her work for The Zimbabwean newspaper received over 50 awards and is now part of the permanent collection at both the British Museum and the Design Museum.
Smoler is also a frequent fixture on the juries of advertising awards shows, having served on the jury for Cannes Lions, The One Show, D&AD, LIA and British Arrows.
Bill Scott, CEO of Droga5 London and managing director at Accenture Interactive in the UK & Ireland, said: “Shelley is an exceptional leader who is fearless, compassionate and selfless in equal measure. She will leave no stone unturned to push the creative product from conception to delivery, driving her teams and her clients to make the work the best it can be. But in so doing, she only leads by example and coaches those around her on where she thinks the work needs to go. She has a unique skill of not only making the work better, but the people around her better. I can think of no-one more prepared and more deserving for this role.”
Smoler said, “I am incredibly proud of the work I’ve been a part of. There is no reward more satisfying than seeing the bravery of my colleagues and clients redefine the conventions of an industry I love. My ambition as Droga5 London’s chief creative officer is to take the conceptual magic of Droga5 and combine it with Accenture Interactive’s formidable capabilities to create a kind of supercharged clay that my teams can mold into ideas unlimited by any definition of category, genre or medium. Campaigns that are recognized beyond the confines of the advertising world and that surprise, delight and move the people who experience them.”
