Bronwyn van der Merwe is a widely revered media leader and diversity advocate. Throughout her career, she’s championed initiatives to celebrate and promote diversity, equity and inclusion and has lent her expertise mentoring emerging designers, teaching design leadership and presented at conferences and in the media. In this week’s Fast 10, Greg ‘Sparrow’ Graham sat down with her to chat her role at Accenture Song and the industry’s biggest challenges.
As the ANZ lead for Accenture Song, a role she took on last year, she facilitates growth for clients in the region. With over 20 years of experience in design and innovation leadership, she centres clarity in everything she does to bring out the human element behind the work.
1. You’ve had a brilliant career, from being an early web developer at BBC in various roles, fast forward to now lead of Accenture Song ANZ. If you had to pick only one, what would be your career highlight so far?
Bronwyn van der Merwe: Honestly, it’s not a single moment — it’s a thread. Every time I’ve been part of a team that created something genuinely meaningful for people, that’s been the real highlight. From those early days coding websites until 2am, to designing BBC digital projects with incredible reach, to establishing Fjord in Australia, the joy has always been in the collective creativity and momentum as we helped clients reinvent how they serve their customers. But if I had to choose: launching Fjord in Tokyo was a career defining moment and then stepping into the ANZ lead role at Accenture Song and seeing the pride, ambition and impact of our teams has been incredibly special.
2. What’s the one lesson you’ve learned and want to share about leadership, especially since stepping into Greenie’s shoes?
BM: When David Droga offered me the Accenture Song lead role his advice to me was, ‘Don’t change’. When you step into a role someone else held with such impact, the temptation is to rush, fill the void, prove yourself. But I could never fill Greenie’s shoes – I had to find my own way to lead with authenticity, drawing on my set of experiences and expertise. For me, leadership is about listening deeply, evolving the culture and the product, trusting your team, and making space for people to shine.
3. You boomeranged back to Accenture after a design lead role in APAC, why?
BM: I loved my time at Culture Amp — it was an incredible opportunity to deepen my craft leadership and work with a brilliant product team. But Accenture Song has this unparalleled mix of capability: creatives and designers, researchers and behavioural scientists, consultants and strategists, technologists and data engineers all working side by side. We also have industry depth and global reach. It’s a rare environment where you can dream big and actually make it happen — with the scale, the talent and the values to back it.
4. As a young girl, what did you want to be when you grew up?
BM: At first, I wanted to be a make-up artist — I loved the idea of colour, creativity and transforming how people felt about themselves. But as I moved through high school, I swung hard into STEM. I was fascinated by how things worked at a microscopic level and became determined to be a geneticist. In the end, I landed somewhere completely different: a Commerce degree at Melbourne Uni, which opened the door to an unexpected — but ultimately perfect — path into design, technology and customer experience. It’s funny how all those early threads still show up in what I do now: creativity, curiosity and a love of making things better for people.
5. You champion diversity. How do you embed it in your DNA to ensure it’s truly reflected in your Accenture Song teams?
BM: For me, diversity isn’t a program; it’s a design principle. It shows up in who we hire, who we promote, who is in the room, and which voices shape decisions. I’m conscious about building teams that reflect the world we design for — across gender, culture, identity, lived experience, and ways of thinking. But most importantly, it’s about creating a culture where people feel safe enough to show up as themselves and bold enough to challenge the work.
6. As an industry, what’s one thing you would change to make us all better?
BM: Less jargon, more humanity. We’ve become very good at talking about technology and transformation, but we forget it’s real people on the other end of every decision, every journey, every service. If we centred empathy — genuinely — in how we design and deliver, I think the whole industry would shift.
7. What are the current growth challenges for your clients, and how is Accenture Song delivering effective solutions?
BM: Most organisations are trying to grow in a world that’s more complex, more competitive, and more customer-driven than ever. They’re navigating AI, rising expectations, cost pressures, and the demand for personalisation at scale. What we bring is clarity: connecting brand, experience, technology and creativity so growth isn’t accidental — it’s intentional. Whether it’s reinventing customer service, redesigning products, or elevating experience, we help clients close the gap between what they promise and what customers feel.
8. What’s the one factor that’s vital in delivering outstanding customer experiences and making them really sing?
BM: Beautiful brand promises fall apart when the day-to-day experience doesn’t match. The magic happens when every touchpoint — human or digital — feels connected, clear, effortless and true to the brand. That’s when an experience really sings.
9. What’s one thing that’s not on your LinkedIn profile?
BM: I’m happiest near the ocean. Give me salt air, a swim, and a coffee with my friends, and I’m completely content.
10. Important last question, do your parents really know what you do?
BM: Ha, they really struggle telling other people what I do. My mum asked me to write a short description down in her diary so she has it for quick reference (her poor friends!). They know I lead a big creative and technology business and help organisations make experiences better for people, but beyond that – very limited!
