AKQA Australia Appoints World-Ranked Strategist Kyle Duckitt as Strategy Director

AKQA Australia has appointed Kyle Duckitt as Executive Strategy Director, bringing on a strategist ranked third best in the world by The One Club in 2021 to lead the WPP agency's strategic discipline across Australia.

A Globally Credentialed Hire for the Australian Market

Duckitt arrives with experience across five continents and a client roster that includes Porsche, Samsung, and Nike. He has held senior leadership roles at BBH Asia Pacific, BBDO Group Germany, and TBWA Johannesburg.

At AKQA Australia, Duckitt will oversee strategy across creative, experience design, technology, data, and client services. He reports directly to Managing Director Justine Leong.

"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," said Leong. "His forward-thinking mindset will be crucial in empowering our clients to not just adapt, but to boldly imagine and shape what's next."

A Coordinated Leadership Build Across Five Disciplines

Duckitt's appointment completes a structured senior leadership build at AKQA Australia spanning multiple disciplines. The agency's current leadership team now includes Tara McKenty as Chief Creative Officer, David Clarke as Executive Experience Design Director, Rodney Greenfield as Executive Director of AI and Data, and Eric Orton as Chief Technology Officer.

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Each appointment addresses a distinct capability: creative vision, experience design, AI and data intelligence, technology infrastructure, and now strategic leadership. The structure positions the agency to compete for large, complex client assignments rather than project-based creative work.

This build-out follows AKQA's 2024 global restructure, which organized the network into regional profit centers. APAC was designated as a distinct unit under Brian Vella, promoted to APAC CEO. The absorption of WhiteGrey into AKQA strengthened the agency's presence across Australia and New Zealand, providing the organizational scale to support senior talent investment.

Duckitt's Case Against the Efficiency-First Agency Model

Duckitt was direct about his reasons for joining. "Our industry, and our clients' industries, are going through the most dramatic shift we've seen in a generation," he said. "Most agencies are responding by running the same old playbook, just faster and with fewer people. I didn't come to AKQA to do that."

He cited AKQA's combination of creative ambition and technical capability as the deciding factor. "The focus isn't efficiency but rather knowing where new value lives and helping our clients get there first," he added.

Duckitt also writes the strategy newsletter Not Normal and was formerly a competitive swimmer at world-class level.

APAC Relevance and Regional Fluency

Duckitt's prior role at BBH Asia Pacific gives him direct experience with regional client dynamics across diverse Asian markets. For AKQA Australia, which sits within AKQA's broader APAC structure, this regional familiarity carries operational weight. Australian agencies increasingly serve as regional hubs for multinational clients managing APAC mandates from Sydney or Melbourne.

His appointment follows the elevation of Tim Devine from AKQA Australia/NZ Executive Creative Director to Global Chief Invention Officer, a move that signals the Sydney office functions as a genuine innovation hub with pathways to global influence rather than a regional outpost.

Duckitt's full mandate at AKQA Australia is effective immediately.