Droga5 Creative Director Mike O’Sullivan has confirmed that Managing Director Andrew Stone has left the company.

In a release issued this afternoon, O’Sullivan plays down Stone’s exit, focusing on new business wins, and characterising the Stone news as “stepping back” – but it’s clear the arrangement is permanent, and that Andrew Stone will not be returning to the agency he helped found in NZ.

Stone  has not returned our calls, and it’s not yet known what are his real plans.

Here’s the official release …

Droga5 is poised for growth in New Zealand after gaining the Qantas account; with another major client announcement imminent.

“We’re delighted to have a client like Qantas in our portfolio in New Zealand,” said Mike O’Sullivan.

“To date we’ve been deliberately quiet about who we partner with – however, we’re now working with AA Travel Australasia, Phoenix Organics, Qantas, Lion Nathan, Fiveight, Random House, and domestic abuse charity Shine. And shortly we will be in a position to announce another significant name.”

To bolster the agency’s already strong digital credentials, Nathan Cooper recently joined from Anomaly London, as Digital Creative Director, and will partner with Chris Long who joined the agency in April as the agency continues to grow.

Signalling a strong commitment to current clients and an aggressive steer towards new business, Droga5 has added Cooper to the New Zealand management team alongside James Polhill, Jose Alomajan and O’Sullivan.

Meanwhile, Andrew Stone has stepped back from the day-to-day running of the agency to gain more free time with the family and will be pursuing various projects down the line.

Mike O’Sullivan is stepping into the leadership role at the agency. Mike O’Sullivan said “Both David Droga in New York, and David Nobay in Sydney, are Creative Directors who lead their respective offices. Philosophically it’s the right thing to do.

“Between working with current clients, we’re pitching more than ever so we’re really busy,” said Mike O’Sullivan. “The landscape is changing rapidly in New Zealand and there are more opportunities than ever. But clearly, Andrew will be doing more fishing than me.”