Akcelo lures Droga5 NY’s Sean La’Brooy back to Australia for group strategy director role

Highly acclaimed strategist Sean La’Brooy is returning to Australia to join the burgeoning team at leading independent brand experience agency Akcelo as group strategy director.

La’Brooy (centre) has enjoyed a storied career, spending the last five years at Droga5 New York in a series of senior strategy roles and worked across a host of major projects, from defining the global brand strategy for Meta, to Super Bowl spots for Molson Coors, and multiple high-profile global pitch wins including Xbox, Levi’s, Coors Light and Tourism Australia.

Prior to his time at Droga5, La’Brooy spent three years at JWT as a data and insights strategist, working with Simon McCrudden (left), strategy partner at Akcelo.

Says McCrudden: “Sean fuses super insightful, data-driven thinking with expansive brand and creative strategies, always looking beyond traditional ways of thinking to deliver effective solutions for clients across all touchpoints. He also makes a mean martini.”

As group strategy director La’Brooy will work across Akcelo’s Australian and North American offices and global client roster, including McDonald’s, TikTok and Asahi Beverages.

Says La’Brooy: “I’m thrilled to be joining Akcelo after years of admiring their modern and innovative approach to making an impact for clients. It’s fantastic to be back on home soil and be given the chance to help drive their continued success.”

Says Dave Di Veroli (right), chief strategy officer, Akcelo: “We’re incredibly excited to be able to bring home some top global Aussie talent to join Akcelo at this time. Sean’s experience and perspective will help further deepen our strategic capability and unlock new ways of working with our clients.”

Says Aden Hepburn, CEO, Akcelo: “This role is a key investment to meet new and existing client needs and strengthen our capability for the future. Sean’s wealth of experience, list of accolades and fantastic reputation is a great boost to Akcelo’s firepower as we continue pushing our Brand Experience model to new creative heights and strategic depths.”