Recognition

AKQA receives 11 Most Loved Workplace certifications

27 August 2024
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AKQA has been recognised in 11 Most Loved Workplace lists, celebrating creative organisations that go above and beyond to inspire and motivate employees throughout global companies.

The curated lists represent a commitment to employees, highlighting how company culture promotes warmth, empathy and respect which is key to creating environments where employees can truly love their workplace.




Built by leveraging the latest machine learning technology alongside the exclusive Love of Workplace Index™, and the research validation from the Best Practice Institute. Most Loved Workplace identifies hidden strengths and sparks change across industries.

Top 100 Global Most Loved Workplaces®

The 9th Most Loved Workplace in the World according to Newsweek.

Newsweek commented: “AKQA’s culture is built on trust, recognition and accountability for living the company values. The culture calls for actions over words, stresses transparency and respect, and encourages collaboration and growth. Employees are empowered to create their own work through the AKQA Framework. There are ample opportunities for employees to collaborate with the aim of making the customer’s life better.”

A diverse group of twenty people sit and stand on wooden benches outdoors, surrounded by lush green plants. They are smiling and casually dressed, posing together for a group photo.
SOMA+ São Paulo - Tree of Wealth
A modern, open-concept office space with exposed ceilings, wooden floors, tiered wooden seating, large tables, plants, and minimalist decor under bright overhead lighting.
AKQA Tokyo
Modern open-plan office featuring metal beams, green sofas, a large wooden table with chairs, indoor plants, and a spiral staircase in the background. The space is bright with industrial and minimalist decor.
AKQA Paris
Five people stand smiling in front of a colorful mural. Two of them hold yellow cartoonish trophies. The group appears happy and celebratory, dressed in casual and semi-formal attire.
Future Lions 2024 - Amplify: Be Heard
This award is wonderful recognition for AKQA’s 6,500 employees. It is their love for the work and contribution that’s being celebrated. We are tremendously honoured to be in 9th position in this list of 100 fantastic companies we respect and admire.
- CEO and founder AKQA Ajaz Ahmed

UK’s 100 Most Loved Workplaces®

The freedom for employees to be entrepreneurial and make decisions.

Managing Partner AKQA London Ron Peterson said: “As a team, to receive love is the highest responsibility – one which must be earned through daily care towards our team, our clients, our partners and our home.”



America’s Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces®

Continually seeking to build a community that champions creativity.

President AKQA North America Tesa Aragones said: “Every voice counts here at AKQA. I am very proud of the team and our collective mission to shape a brighter future for everyone.”

Six people pose and smile together indoors, with four sitting on wooden chairs and two standing behind them. The background features a brick wall and exposed metal pipes. The group appears relaxed and casually dressed.
A man with short dark hair is standing indoors in front of a neon-lit sign with large white letters. He is wearing a dark button-up shirt and is looking at the camera with a neutral expression.
CEO and founder AKQA Ajaz Ahmed

Most Loved CEOs at Most Loved Workplaces®

CEO and founder AKQA Ajaz Ahmed.

Ajaz receives the distinction highlighting the importance of building a strong foundation that champions a culture of innovation to create an environment where leadership flourishes. He serves as a role model, showcasing that when CEOs are equipped with a strong team, empowered employees and a supportive environment, businesses unlock limitless potential for innovation and growth.

Most Loved Workplaces® for Diversity

A beacon for organisations aiming to emulate better practices.

AKQA has been honoured as one of the Top 40 Most Loved Workplaces for Diversity globally, acknowledging its inclusive environment. Through a series of company-wide, industry and recruitment initiatives, we are ensuring a greater pipeline of diverse talent at all levels, while also hiring and promoting more women and people of colour into senior positions. Our parent company, WPP, is among the Top 10 performers in the FTSE UK gender diversity report.

Across AKQA studios, DEI committees, represented by a diverse range of backgrounds and tenure, aims to create a better future, together. The groups work across DEI policy creation, participate in leadership meetings and help drive DEI initiatives.

Our Employee Resource Groups, allow employees to find inspiration and connect with like-minded people in our Community channels and build on their shared knowledge by joining a Guild.

The Celebrating Black Excellence series illuminates our Black and African diasporic employees’ multidimensional stories, reflections and achievements.

Top Most Loved Workplaces® for Women

Women that are celebrated and empowered.

AKQA’s dedication to build a workplace where women contribute to their full potential is recognised in this list. AKQA’s Women’s Empowerment group is a global community that supports, inspires and mentors women. Our mission is to be a company that enables, champions and rewards female talent.

Our team has created When I’m With Her – a film that explores many dimensions of the incredible women in AKQA’s studio. Supported by Adobe, the project was unveiled with a talk from The Lives of Men Creative Director, Jason Rosario and children’s book author, Veronica Cameron.

AKQA - When I’m With Her

Most Loved Workplaces® for LGBTQ+

Employees feel respected and can thrive.

The list honours workplaces as a testament to the leaders, innovators and allies shaping a more equitable future and setting the standard for LGBTQ+ inclusion. As the leader in organisational culture development and analysis, Most Loved Workplaces curated the list to recognise exceptional global workplaces that champion LGBTQ+ inclusion. AKQA is celebrated for a commitment to creating a culture where LGBTQ+ employees can be their authentic selves.

A smiling woman with light brown hair lies on concrete, sunlight casting a vivid rainbow across her face from forehead to cheek. She wears a nose ring, small earrings, and a brown jacket.
Learning & Development Specialist AKQA Katie Jackson

“I choose to exist BOLDly by showing up with courageous vulnerability, with hopes that it empowers others to do the same. Being BOLD isn’t limited to my bisexuality - it’s also talking about my mental health, my struggles and my learnings. I think the more we show up BOLDly and courageously, and the more we share our vulnerabilites and otherness with each other, the safer and more compassionate our world will be.”

Katie (she/her), Learning and Development Specialist, San Francisco

Most Loved Workplaces® for Parents and Caregivers

The best position to take care of others.

This list recognises exceptional organisations operating internationally who champion support for working parents and caregivers. AKQA provides an extensive range of benefits such as enhanced policies, including shared leave, fertility leave and parental leave to ensure employees with families can thrive and achieve a healthy work-life balance. A wide range of self-care resources are offered to families and individuals, combined with continuous positive lifestyle encouragement and support for our employees.

Most Loved Workplaces® for Young Professionals

A dynamic and supportive culture.

Founded by AKQA in partnership with Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, Future Lions is an annual worldwide competition that challenges young people to create the future. The programme discovers emerging talent, with 99% of winners having gone on to work for some of the world’s top creative and design agencies.

AKQA Future Academy is a 10-week internship program designed to discover and foster the next generation of creative innovators. We’re looking for people with new perspectives and backgrounds who are eager to grow, learn, and inspire us. Participants will join a team from one of our global AKQA studios, actively contribute to real-world client work, gain personal and professional development, and benefit from ongoing mentorship from an AKQA colleague.

AKQA São Paulo’s SOMA+ is an educational platform that helps expand the professional knowledge of Black, Indigenous, and low-income students of undergraduate communication courses in Brazil. The project also aims to build bridges by promoting inclusion and professional development.

A group of people sitting indoors, smiling and laughing. The focus is on a woman in black with tattoos, covering her mouth while laughing. The background shows shelves with trophies and exposed brick walls.

Most Loved Workplaces® for Career Advancement

Our legacy is the work we do; the people we hire.

At AKQA, we serve to lead. For us, leadership is a responsibility. It is about setting an example with respect for all at its core. It is the duty to be both proficient at our roles and to seek self-improvement. Our leaders therefore develop themselves and colleagues. We build teams, set direction, raise standards and enhance cohesion to provide encouragement and inspiration. We understand that achieving our aspirations for the work, our company and society is about maintaining a perpetual outlook of apprenticeship.

Most Loved Workplaces® for Veterans

Unique challenges actively supported.

Offering protected leave for veterans, we work with employees to meet their needs in time off. CEO and founder Most Loved Workplace Louis Carter said of the honour: “This is a testament to the leaders, innovators, and allies who are shaping a more equitable future of work.”



Careers at AKQA

Shine, and rise.

From inspiration to implementation, AKQA has an unmatched reputation for influential work. We aspire to push the boundaries, creating significant ideas, products and services at the forefront, in an environment where our people can thrive and are not constrained by convention. Explore our AKQA Careers and champion creativity, inclusivity and conscientiousness, working at AKQA makes for a career enriched with opportunity, learning and progress.

Explore AKQA Careers ↘

Related Work

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Culture

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What we look for

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Limitless opportunity ↘

Working at AKQA

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Celebrating Black Excellence ↘

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