Creative agency Droga5 is announcing the appointment of two new executive creative directors, Mariano Jeger and Lauren Varvara, to strengthen the agency's creative leadership and department in its New York office. Reporting to Droga5’s CCO Scott Bell, Mariano and Lauren’s arrival marks another pivotal moment for Droga5’s growing creative force, which recently includes Pelle Sjoenell appointed as worldwide chief creative officer this past March. Mariano and Lauren will be instrumental in elevating Droga5’s creative work across its roster of clients, including J.P. Morgan Chase, Molson Coors, and Huggies, among many others.
“We are thrilled to welcome Mariano and Lauren to Droga5,” said Scott Bell, chief creative officer of Droga5 New York. “I’m so excited for our new ECDs to push our creative boundaries even further, deliver cultural relevance, and drive our brands forward. With their deep creative and global expertise, they’ll play a huge role in shaping the future of our work and leading exciting campaigns for our current clients and some new ones, which we’re excited to be announcing soon."
Lauren joins Droga5 after six years at Saatchi & Saatchi, creatively leading the Tide account as executive creative director. There, she played a critical role in developing and launching campaigns including Laundry Night, Jason Alexander Hoodie, Jersey Swap, and Gonna Need More Tide. Named one of Adweek's Creative 100 honorees, Lauren has an extensive background and experience across categories, including media, entertainment, social, technology, experiential and sustainability, and has earned recognition across the industry award circuit, including at Cannes, The One Show, Effies, Clios, Webbys, and D&AD. Outside of the office, Lauren is also extremely focused on mentorship, serving as an active participant in her alma mater's program that guides student teams, and she also judges competitions like the NSAC AAF.
"There are few agencies that have a creative legacy quite like Droga5,” said Lauren. “I’ve always admired the craft and thought behind D5’s work, so to have the opportunity to be part of it is checking a major box in my career bucket list."
Mariano comes to Droga5 with a wealth of experience in developing impactful and innovative brand campaigns globally with renowned companies such as Apple, Nike, AB InBev, Unilever, Volkswagen, Netflix, Google, Diageo, and Samsung. He recently served as executive creative director at TBWA\Media Arts Lab, Apple’s bespoke creative agency. Prior to that, he spent a decade at R/GA as VP chief creative officer, overseeing the Creative, Content Studio, and Strategy Departments in Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile, and leading projects across LATAM.
"Being at Droga5 means working with some of the brightest and most creative people in the industry—those who push boundaries and craft brands that resonate in culture,” said Mariano. “All of this makes every project an exciting challenge. I’ve always admired this agency, so I’m thrilled to be part of such a unique place.”
In 2020, Droga5 was named Agency of the Decade by both Adweek and Ad Age, and in recent months, it won its first Emmy alongside Accenture Song, was honoured at Ad Age’s A-List & Creativity Awards, won three Grand Prix and more accolades at Cannes Lions’ Dubai Lynx Awards, and has earned multiple recognitions from across the international agency awards’ circuit, including at The Clios, D&AD, The One Show, The Effies and Cannes Lions, among many others.