---
title: 'Associate Strategy Director at AKQA'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/associate-strategy-director-akqa-london-671xxwcv8n9h'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-02'
---

# Associate Strategy Director at AKQA

- **Company:** AKQA
- **Location:** London, United Kingdom
- **Posted:** 2026-10-27
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-02
- **Apply:** https://www.akqa.com/jobs/8314114/?gh_jid=8314114

## Job description

At AKQA (part of WPP), we believe in the imaginative application of art and science to design a better future. Our strategists help brands navigate complexity, uncover opportunities and create meaningful experiences that connect customer needs with business ambition.

As an Associate Strategy Director, you'll lead customer experience, product and service strategy for some of the world's most influential organisations, working across sectors including healthcare, nutrition, financial services and beyond. You'll help clients define how their products, services and touchpoints work together to create connected experiences, differentiated propositions and meaningful customer value.

You'll work at the intersection of customer experience, business strategy, design and technology, bringing clarity to complex challenges and translating strategic thinking into actionable plans. As customer behaviour evolves through AI, emerging platforms and connected ecosystems, you'll help brands rethink where they show up, how they engage and the value they provide.

This is a senior strategy role within AKQA's London studio, working closely with UX, design, technology and multidisciplinary teams across our global network. You'll independently lead complex projects, build trusted client relationships and help shape new business opportunities, with some international travel potentially required.

## ROLE REQUIREMENTS

- Lead complex customer experience and product strategy engagements, from discovery and opportunity definition through to experience vision, strategic recommendations and delivery planning.
- Connect customer needs, business objectives, research and technology capabilities to define clear strategic direction and identify opportunities for growth.
- Map customer journeys, services and ecosystems to uncover unmet needs, friction points and opportunities across channels and touchpoints.
- Define how brands can create value across owned digital experiences, AI and LLM-driven discovery, partnerships and third-party platforms.
- Partner closely with UX, service design and technology teams to translate strategic opportunities into product and service propositions, experience principles and actionable requirements.
- Guide the development of customer journeys, concepts, service blueprints and strategic roadmaps, ensuring recommendations are desirable, commercially valuable and technically feasible.
- Design and facilitate workshops with senior stakeholders, using design thinking and collaborative problem-solving to build alignment and drive decisions.
- Develop compelling strategic narratives, frameworks and presentations that communicate complex ideas clearly and inspire confidence among senior clients.
- Translate customer research, business insights and performance data into meaningful strategic priorities, success measures and recommendations.
- Lead client relationships and multidisciplinary project teams, providing strategic direction, constructive feedback and clarity throughout delivery.
- Contribute to new business opportunities, pitches, proposals and scopes, helping shape and grow AKQA's customer experience offering.
- Collaborate across AKQA's international studios and specialist teams to deliver connected, consistent and innovative customer experiences.

## QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS

- Significant experience in customer experience strategy, product strategy, service design or a related discipline, gained within an agency, consultancy or product-led organisation.

- Proven ability to independently lead complex strategic engagements and build trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders.

- Strong systems thinking, with the ability to connect customer journeys, business models, organisational processes and technology into a coherent strategic vision.

- Experience shaping digital products and services, working closely with UX, design and engineering teams to translate strategy into practical solutions.

- Confident applying design thinking, facilitating workshops and navigating ambiguity to bring clarity, alignment and actionable outcomes.

- Excellent storytelling and communication skills, with the ability to develop polished, persuasive presentations for executive audiences.

- Strong commercial awareness, with experience contributing to new business pitches, proposals, project scopes and delivery planning.

- An informed perspective on emerging technologies, particularly AI and LLMs, and how they are changing customer behaviour and brand experiences.

- Comfortable using research, customer insights and performance data to inform strategic recommendations and measure success.

- Experience working across complex customer ecosystems, ideally within healthcare, nutrition, financial services or other regulated industries.

- Collaborative and confident leader who can guide multidisciplinary teams, challenge thinking and inspire high-quality work.

- Curious, proactive and comfortable moving between big-picture strategic thinking and the practical detail required to bring ideas to life.

- Comfortable working with international teams and travelling occasionally, including to the US, depending on project requirements.

Explore our extensive range of benefits [here](https://www.akqa.com/). We believe great work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach including required in-office days. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

AKQA is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

## About WPP

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit [WPP.com](http://wpp.com/).

## About AKQA

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: AKQA is a creative agency that combines imagination and technology to design and build transformative products, services, and experiences for the world’s most respected brands.
- **Entity Type**: Private subsidiary (owned by WPP plc)
- **Headquarters**: Not explicitly stated on company site; widely reported as London, UK (global presence across 19 countries and 30 locations)
- **Founded**: 1995
- **Founders**: Not publicly available on company site

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Creative agency, digital agency, innovation consultancy, experience design
- **Target customers**: B2B, enterprise clients (global organisations and institutions)
- **Mission or purpose statement**: “Create a better future” – the company states its primary motivation is to imagine and create what matters next, using imagination, technology, craft and speed to make a positive difference in people’s lives.

## Products & Services
AKQA operates through several specialised companies and practices:
- **Experience Design**: Designing digital products, services, and interfaces that are intuitive, beautiful, and culturally resonant.
- **Brand, Industrial Design and Architecture**: Creating brand identities, physical products, and spatial experiences.
- **App Development (ArcTouch)**: Building mobile and connected applications for clients.
- **Brand Experience and Communications (Made)**: Developing brand storytelling, campaigns, and communications strategies.

In addition, AKQA offers consulting, engineering, and innovation services as part of its core agency offering.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (private subsidiary of WPP plc, a public company with a market cap of ~£9B as of mid-2025)
- **Key Metric**: Total funding not applicable (subsidiary); revenue not publicly disclosed for AKQA standalone. WPP’s Global Integrated Agencies segment (which includes AKQA) reported £12.3B in revenue for 2024.
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Parent company WPP plc; long-term clients include many of the world’s most prestigious organisations (specific names not listed on site).
- **Growth Signals**: 
  - 83 Agency of the Year awards
  - 616 Cannes Lions won in the last decade, including multiple Grand Prix awards (Innovation 2025, Glass 2024, Digital Craft 2023, Design 2021)
  - Ranked 9th Most Loved Workplace in the World by Newsweek
  - Named Campaign’s 2023 Digital Agency Global Network of the Year
  - Winner of Fast Company World Changing Ideas Awards (2021, 2022, 2024)
  - Led Gartner’s independent evaluation of Global Marketing Agencies for four consecutive years

## Competitive Advantages
- **Award-winning creative culture**: Consistently recognised at the highest levels of global creative competitions (Cannes Lions, D&AD, Webby Awards).
- **Global scale with local depth**: 30 studios across 19 countries, enabling seamless cross-border collaboration – over 70% of clients work with teams in multiple regions.
- **Long-term client relationships**: Trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, with a focus on enduring partnerships rather than project-based work.
- **Multidisciplinary expertise**: Combines strategy, design, engineering, and communications under one roof, allowing for integrated, end-to-end solutions.
- **Culture of innovation**: Emphasis on disciplined experimentation and “zero-to-one” breakthroughs rather than incremental change.

## Strategic Focus
- **Continuing to lead at the intersection of imagination and technology**, with a strong focus on AI, digital craft, and emerging technologies.
- **Becoming the employer of choice** in the creative and innovation industry, as stated on the company’s careers page.
- **Driving growth for society, clients, people, and values** – the company describes itself as “ambitious, growth-oriented” with a commitment to sustainability and equity.
- **Expanding its global footprint** and deepening capabilities through its specialised companies (ArcTouch, Made, etc.).

## Why Work Here
- **Culture highlights**: Recognised as a Great Place to Work and a Best Workplace for Innovators by Fast Company. Newsweek ranked AKQA the 9th Most Loved Workplace in the World.
- **Employee Resource Groups**: Active communities including WE (Women’s Empowerment), BOLD (LGBTQIA+), MIND (mental health), API (Asian & Pacific Islander), and a DEI Council.
- **Learning and development**: AKQA Insight platform offers talks and courses from internal and external experts; formal training programs and WPP Professional Development are available.
- **Mental health and physical wellbeing**: Resources include yoga, meditation, self-care resources, and a focus on disease prevention and resilience.
- **Remote/hybrid policy**: Not explicitly stated on site; the company has physical studios worldwide and emphasises in-person collaboration, though some flexibility may exist depending on role and location.
- **Purpose-driven work**: The company’s stated goal is to “create a better future,” and it backs this with sustainability initiatives and community engagement (e.g., Future Lions competition, Future Academy internship program).
- **Diverse and inclusive environment**: The company is committed to “fostering a varied and equitable work environment” and takes active steps toward equity and representation.

## Sources
1. [AKQA Careers Overview](https://www.akqa.com/careers/)
2. [Working at AKQA](https://www.akqa.com/careers/working-at-akqa/)
3. [AKQA Companies](https://www.akqa.com/companies/)
4. [AKQA Culture](https://www.akqa.com/culture/)

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