AKQA Australia has appointed Kyle Duckitt as executive strategy director, strengthening its leadership team and reinforcing its commitment to delivering transformative, innovation-led growth for clients.
As part of the Australian leadership team, Duckitt will play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering the vision for AKQA Australia.
Reporting to AKQA Australia managing director Justine Leong, he will work in close collaboration with Tara McKenty, chief creative officer; David Clarke, executive experience design director; Rodney Greenfield, data and AI director; and Eric Orton, chief technology officer.
In this role, Kyle will lead the agency’s strategic discipline, partnering across creative, experience design, technology, data, and client services to solve complex business challenges and unlock new opportunities for clients.
His appointment reflects AKQA’s continued focus on finding new value at the intersection of imagination and technology.
Duckitt joins AKQA with over a decade of global experience, having worked across five continents with brands including Nike, Porsche, Samsung and WWF.
Known for his provocative and action-oriented approach to strategy, he has built a reputation for challenging convention and driving meaningful change.
His work has been recognised internationally, including being ranked the third best strategist globally by The One Club, alongside accolades from Cannes Lions, D&AD, The One Show and more.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kyle to AKQA Australia as executive strategy director. Kyle’s global insight and impressive client experience provide a solid foundation, but it’s his visionary perspective on the future of strategy that truly excites us,” Leong said.
“His forward-thinking mindset will be crucial in empowering our clients to not just adapt, but to boldly imagine and shape what’s next. I am genuinely excited about the fresh thinking he will bring.”
“Our industry, and our clients’ industries, are going through the most dramatic shift we’ve seen in a generation. Yet most agencies are responding by running the same old playbook, just faster and with fewer people,” Duckitt said.
“I didn’t come to AKQA to do that. I came because this is a place that has always operated at the frontier, where creative ambition and technical capability aren’t just talk but how the place actually operates.
“Where the focus isn’t efficiency but rather knowing where new value lives and helping our clients get there first. That’s why I’m here, and I can’t wait to get to work.”
