Melissa Fein is leaving Accenture Song's ANZ media business for a US-based role within the parent organization, with Sam Geer stepping into the regional media leadership seat. Accenture confirmed the move internally last week. The transition puts Geer—who joined Song ANZ in 2021 from IPG Mediabrands—in charge of a media unit responsible for approximately $180M in ANZ billings, per COMvergence estimates.
Fein's departure marks the third senior exit from Song ANZ since Accenture consolidated its creative, media, and commerce units under the Song brand in 2022. She joined Accenture Interactive in 2019 after stints at Publicis and WPP, building the media practice during a period when the consultancy added 1,200 ANZ headcount across technology and experience roles. Her US reassignment reflects Accenture's ongoing effort to centralize media strategy around its proprietary data-cloud integrations—a play aimed at competing with Publicis Groupe's Epsilon and Dentsu's Merkle.
The reshuffle arrives as Accenture Song globally reports softening growth in its experience division. Parent company Accenture PLC posted $16.2B in Q2 2025 revenue, up 1.8% year-over-year, but Song's contribution lagged behind the cloud and security practices. ANZ remains a testing ground for Song's "platform-led creativity" model, which bundles Adobe Commerce, Salesforce, and proprietary AI tools into retainer structures. Clients including Qantas, NAB, and Westfield have signed multi-year deals in this format, but execution speed has been uneven. Fein's exit removes one of the architects who translated that vision into media buying workflows.
Geer inherits a practice at an inflection point. Accenture Song ANZ is pursuing three major pitches in financial services and retail, each requiring integration between paid media and first-party data estates. The unit faces direct competition from Publicis Groupe's recently merged Starcom and Zenith ANZ operation, which now operates under a unified P&L and has been undercutting Song on programmatic fees by 12-15%, per two ANZ media directors who spoke on background. Geer's prior experience scaling performance-marketing stacks at Mediabrands gives him credibility in this arena, but he will need to stabilize a team that has seen 18% voluntary attrition over the past eight months.
Watch for announcements around Song ANZ's data-partnership strategy in the next 60-90 days. Accenture is negotiating with Quantium and LiveRamp to deepen ANZ retail-media capabilities, according to two advisory-side sources. A formal partnership would position Song to compete for Woolworths Group and Coles media budgets, which together represent roughly $320M in addressable spend. Separately, Fein's US role has not been publicly detailed, but Accenture is expanding its Song presence in New York and San Francisco to support automotive and luxury-retail clients—sectors where ANZ lessons on platform integration are transferable.
Geer's first quarterly review is scheduled for late Q2 2025. If he can retain the four largest media accounts through the end of calendar 2025, Song ANZ stabilizes. If not, expect further consolidation into Accenture's broader technology-services arm.