AKQA
Report by Ajaz Ahmed
Chief executive officer
http://www.akqa.com/ajaz
Ideas that move the world
I
n 2015, AKQA’s collaboration with our clients delivered a continuous stream of imaginative, breathtaking work. Highlights include ‘Your Year directed by Nike+’, ‘The Last Shot’ for Jordan and ‘Don’t Look Away’ for Usher.
Momentum
We were appointed by 14 new organisations while increasing our responsibilities and expanding relationships with existing clients.
Recognition
Breaking all previous records, we won more than 125
major awards – including 12 Cannes Lions and four D&AD – making it our most successful awards year to date.
Team
The credit for these awards goes to our team – around 2,000 people across 17 offices. We opened a new office in Gothenburg, expanded our spaces in New York and Tokyo, and welcomed 200 employees in Italy with the addition of H-ART to our family.
Thought
As part of our AKQA Insight series, we have hosted speakers from billionaire tech CEOs to visionary astronomers, each sharing their illuminating thoughts with our team and clients. And as a follow-up to our bestselling title Velocity, Penguin Random House published Limitless: Leadership That Endures. All proceeds from Limitless are donated to five charities voted for by our people.
The limitless generation
We celebrated 10 years of AKQA Future Lions, the official student competition we pioneered at Cannes. Future Lions challenges young innovators to create an idea not possible three years ago. Attracting more than 2,000 entries from 60 countries, Future Lions is the most popular category at the Cannes Lions Festival. By providing the next generation with a platform to share their imagination and drive, Future Lions has helped to kick-start hundreds of careers
in our industry.
The future inspires us. We work to inspire
2015 has been momentous year for the work, our people and clients. And now, more than ever, we’re excited about creating what’s next.