Senior Account Manager - Client Service
About the job
- Up to 5 years of experience in a similar agency role, with strong strategic and commercial capability.
- Clear, confident communication and strong presentation skills.
- Experience owning budgets and producing financial reports.
- Problem-solving, negotiation, and risk-management skills.
- Ability to assist in identifying and developing new business opportunities.
- A team-first approach that enables strong collaboration across clients and agency partners.
- Assist in monitoring and maintaining a strong pipeline of client growth opportunities.
- Contribute to generating ideas and actions that deliver tangible business results.
- Encourage an entrepreneurial approach to solving problems.
- Work with disciplines to provide clients with relevant insights on industry trends, best practices, and benchmarks.
- Help drive and inspire a talented group of professionals, creating a culture of inclusion and teamwork.
- Own and nurture a key client relationship as a trusted adviser, brand champion, and agency facilitator.
- Work closely with Account Directors and multidisciplinary teams across strategy, creative, technology, and production to lead complex, multi-discipline projects end to end.
- Manage scope, timing, and risk; keep teams aligned; and support the growth of colleagues to deliver high-quality work.
- A background working with retail clients in an agency environment is highly regarded.
About the company
AKQA is a digital design and communications agency that delivers digital strategy, experience and product design, e-commerce, and technology implementation for global brands. Its approach combines creativity, technology, and data to build digital products and immersive campaigns. The company works through integrated teams that move from strategy to design to development and activation, using technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality to create engaging experiences. AKQA differentiates itself by operating as an autonomous subsidiary within WPP while leveraging scale across 50 countries and about 6,000 employees, enabling end-to-end services and a track record of large-brand work (e.g., Microsoft, Nike, Google, Unilever) and industry recognition. Its goal is to help brands transform digitally and achieve measurable business results through compelling, user-centered digital experiences.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
Acquired
Total Funding
$540M
Headquarters
San Francisco, California
Founded
2007
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- HubSpot appointed AKQA in March 2026, expanding the agency's enterprise growth pipeline.
- AKQA launched an AI-crafted Lexus campaign in March 2026, proving commercial AI execution.
- AKQA won 22 Cannes Lions in 2026, including a Grand Prix, signaling creative momentum.
What critics are saying
- WPP's 2026 consolidation pushes AKQA deeper into group-wide cost-cutting and restructuring.
- Leadership churn persists after Ajaz Ahmed's 2024 exit and 2025 Americas departures.
- Grey's 2025 separation and WPP integration threaten AKQA's standalone identity by 2027.
What makes AKQA unique
- AKQA embeds AI across creative, strategy, and technology, now with a unified global structure.
- HubSpot hired AKQA in March 2026 for brand, product, and customer-experience integration.
- AKQA still wins prestige work for Lexus, Microsoft, Nike, and global awards.
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Benefits
Hybrid Work Options
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
-7%1 year growth
-7%2 year growth
-7%AKQA promotes Luciano Di Leonardo to executive technology director. October 8, 2026 9:05 AKQA has promoted Luciano Di Leonardo to executive technology director, overseeing the agency's technology practice and engineering organisation. His focus will be on advancing AI-native development and enhancing technology's role in client strategies. The announcement: AKQA, the frontier agency, has promoted Luciano Di Leonardo to Executive Technology Director, Australia, expanding his leadership remit as the agency accelerates the evolution of its technology and engineering practice. In the role, Luciano will lead AKQA Australia's technology practice and engineering organisation, as well as its technology strategy for clients. He will oversee technical program delivery across the agency's Australian client portfolio and lead a team spanning solution architects, technical leads, delivery leads and principal engineers. Enjoying Mumbrella? Sign up for our free daily newsletter. A key focus of his expanded remit will be advancing AKQA's shift towards AI-native development, embedding agentic AI tools, modern engineering workflows and new capability frameworks into the practice. Luciano will report to Eric Orton, Chief Technology Officer, APAC, while working closely with AKQA Australia's Managing Director Justine Leong and the wider Australian executive leadership team across creative, strategy, experience design and client services, to bring technology into the heart of the agency's innovation offering. Luciano said the rapid development of AI represented a defining opportunity for both the agency and its people. "AI is a once-in-a-generation inflection point. In much the same way the internet reshaped our industry 25 years ago, AI is changing how we create, engineer and deliver experiences," said Luciano. "My ambition is to move technology beyond being a delivery partner to becoming an invention partner. That means being people-led and AI-amplified - using AI to extend the ingenuity, craftsmanship and creativity of our teams, rather than replace what makes them exceptional." Luciano has spent more than 15 years with AKQA, leading technical strategy, enterprise architecture and the evolution of engineering practices. Before joining the agency, he held technology roles across Australia and the United Kingdom working in various industries such as insurance, digital, product development and IT sectors. During his time at AKQA, Luciano has worked across commerce and retail, insurance, superannuation, travel, government and entertainment, partnering with clients including AustralianSuper, Foodstuffs NZ, Inland Revenue NZ, Visit Victoria, HESTA, RACWA, Australian Ethical Super and Country Road Group. Among his major technology initiatives, Luciano spearheaded Country Road Group's digital transformation, coordinating more than 30 stakeholders across three locations and offshore teams to deliver a serverless, edge-based headless architecture capable of deploying 24 websites in 240 seconds across four retail brands. He also established and managed AKQA's 24/7 Managed Services support operation, introducing enterprise tooling and modern operational SLA frameworks. Across his career, he has recruited, mentored and developed more than 100 technology specialists. Eric Orton, Chief Technology Officer, APAC, at AKQA, said: "Luciano has been at the heart of every major transformation in our business over the last 15 years, leading some of our highest-impact work across Australia and New Zealand. His leadership, technical depth and commitment to our teams and clients have helped shape so much of what we've achieved together. "AI is bringing one of the biggest shifts our industry has seen, fundamentally changing the way ideas are conceived, built and experienced. I'm thrilled to have Luciano guiding our team and clients in Australia through this next chapter, and I look forward to what we'll achieve together." Luciano added: "I care deeply about this team and the future we can build together. I want to create a clear vision, elevate the people who are already pushing boundaries and make AKQA's technology practice a place where exceptional technologists are proud to do the best work of their careers." Have your say. Or comment anonymously Your comment will be marked as unverified
AKQA appoints Rosie Milton-Schönemann as global director of marketing and communications. AKQA has appointed Rosie Milton-Schönemann as its global director of marketing and communications. This newly created role reflects the agency's ambition to further strengthen its brand, reputation and market positioning in its next chapter under AKQA CEO and WPP group chief strategy officer, Baiju Shah. In this role, Rosie will lead AKQA's global marketing and communications strategy, drawing from a career working with companies operating at the intersection of creativity and technology. Rosie will partner with leaders across AKQA's worldwide business to strengthen its reputation, sharpen its narrative and help define how the agency's role as the frontier agency is understood by clients, talent and the wider industry. Rosie joins from Accenture Song, where she spent nearly a decade helping shape the company's global reputation during a period of significant growth and several leadership and transformation cycles. Most recently, she led global corporate communications, overseeing brand reputation, executive communications and integrated external engagement as part of the marketing and communications leadership team. Commenting on her appointment, Rosie said: "I firmly believe that reputation is one of the most powerful drivers of growth. The opportunity to help shape how AKQA is understood by clients, talent and the wider industry at such an important moment for the business is incredibly exciting. AKQA has long been recognised for the quality of its ideas and the calibre of its people. I'm looking forward to working with Baiju, our global leadership team and colleagues across the WPP network to build on that legacy and ensure the agency's reputation is as distinctive as the work it creates." Rosie joins AKQA at a time of considerable momentum, following recent leadership appointments, new client partnerships and continued recognition for creative and technological innovation. The appointment reflects AKQA's commitment to strengthening its market presence as it continues to imagine and create what matters next for clients and communities around the world.
AKQA Australia appoints Jonathan Hales & Martin Tozzi-Condivi Executive Client partners. Hales will focus on public sector growth, while Tozzi-Condivi takes on a deeper financial services remit. AKQA Australia has appointed Jonathan Hales as Executive Client Partner and promoted Martin Tozzi-Condivi to the same role, with both taking on senior client leadership responsibilities across the Australian business. Hales joins the Australian business after four years leading AKQA's Wellington studio in New Zealand in a similar client leadership role, while Tozzi-Condivi moves into the position after eight years with AKQA. Both report to Managing Director Justine Leong. Hales will focus on supporting the agency's portfolio of client brands, driving new business growth and expanding its established public sector practice. Tozzi-Condivi will lead multidisciplinary teams across digital transformation, brand strategy and customer experience optimization, with a deeper focus on financial services and member-focused organizations. Hales brings more than 40 years of experience across advertising, brand, design and public sector transformation. His work has included teams behind the New Zealand passport and identity program, the global reinvention of the New Zealand wine industry, and a public information program supporting New Zealand's largest public transport transformation. Tozzi-Condivi has spent eight years with AKQA, with a focus on the financial services sector, long-term client relationships and the customer lifecycle. In his expanded role, he will continue to bring together multidisciplinary teams for clients. "Jonathan and Martin bring complementary strengths to our client service leadership at an important time for AKQA Australia," said Justine Leong, Managing Director, AKQA Australia. "Their appointments reflect our continued investment in senior client leadership and our ambition to deepen trusted partnerships across sectors. Jonathan's successful track record in New Zealand will help us grow our public sector practice, while Martin's expanded remit strengthens our focus on financial services and member-focused organisations. Together, they will help our teams create meaningful impact and commercial value for clients across Australia." "I'm excited by the opportunity to continue my AKQA journey while relocating to Australia," said Jonathan Hales. "Remaining part of AKQA is important to me, and I look forward to supporting our Australian clients, growing the public sector practice, and sharing my experience and knowledge with the leadership team." "I'm thrilled to take on the Executive Client Partner role at such an exciting time for AKQA," said Martin Tozzi-Condivi. "We have an extraordinary team, and I'm looking forward to deepening my focus on the financial services sector - particularly partnering with member-focused organisations - to deliver real-world impact, scale our capabilities, and drive ongoing strategic value and commercial success for our clients."
AKQA names Jonathan Hales & Martin Tozzi-Condivi Executive Client partners. Published on: 1st September 2026 at 10:46 AM AKQA Australia has appointed of Jonathan Hales and promoted Martin Tozzi-Condivi to executive client partner to bolster the agency's client service leadership. Hales has joined AKQA Australia following four years leading the agency's Wellington studio in New Zealand in a similar client leadership role. Tozzi-Condivi has stepped into the executive client partner role after eight years with AKQA. He was previously group client partner. They will report to managing director Justine Leong and will work across the Australian business in close collaboration with David Clarke, executive experience design director; Eric Orton, chief technology officer; Tara McKenty, chief creative officer; Sarah McGregor, executive creative director; and, Rodney Greenfield, data and AI director. Hales will focus on supporting the agency's portfolio of client brands, driving new business growth and expanding its established public sector practice. Tozzi-Condivi will lead multi-disciplinary teams across digital transformation, brand strategy and customer experience optimisation, with a deepened focus on financial services and member-focused organisations. "Jonathan and Martin bring complementary strengths to our client service leadership at an important time for AKQA Australia. Their appointments reflect our continued investment in senior client leadership and our ambition to deepen trusted partnerships across sectors. Together, they will help our teams create meaningful impact and commercial value for clients across Australia," said AKQA Australia managing director Justine Leong. "I'm excited by the opportunity to continue my AKQA journey while relocating to Australia. Remaining part of AKQA is important to me, and I look forward to supporting our Australian clients, growing the public sector practice, and sharing my experience and knowledge with the leadership team," said Hales. "I'm thrilled to take on the Executive Client Partner role at such an exciting time for AKQA. We have an extraordinary team, and I'm looking forward to deepening my focus on the financial services sector - particularly partnering with member-focused organisations - to deliver real-world impact, scale our capabilities, and drive ongoing strategic value and commercial success for our clients," said Tozzi-Condivi. Join more than 30,000 advertising industry experts Get all the latest advertising and media news direct to your inbox from B&T.
AKQA New Zealand appoints new executive partner. AKQA NZ executive product director Matt Townsend, new executive partner Viv Baartman and managing director Dave Bentley. AKQA New Zealand has appointed Viv Baartman as its new executive partner. In this role, Baartman will lead the strategic direction and growth of the Wellington studio, strengthen relationships across the government and enterprise sectors and support the evolution of AKQA's national go-to-market transformation offering. She will report to AKQA New Zealand managing director Dave Bentley and work closely with executive product director Matt Townsend and the wider leadership team to shape digital, customer experience and AI-led transformation initiatives. Strong reputation. "Viv brings a rare combination of strategic thinking, operational leadership and deep human understanding," says Bentley. "She has built a strong reputation for helping organisations navigate complexity, align teams and deliver meaningful transformation. As organisations rethink customer experience, digital products and AI adoption, Viv's leadership will be incredibly valuable for both AKQA and our clients." Townsend adds: "Viv has a calm, grounded leadership style and an ability to bring clarity to ambitious transformation programmes. She understands how to connect strategy, delivery and people in a way that creates momentum and lasting impact." Where creativity and technology meet. Baartman joins AKQA with more than two decades of experience leading digital transformation, customer experience and operational strategy initiatives across government, health, finance, tourism and technology sectors. On her appointment, she says: "AKQA sits in that rare space where creativity and technology come together to deliver impact. "It's exactly the kind of work I love being part of - helping organisations navigate change while creating experiences that matter. What drew me here was not just the ambition of the work, but the calibre of the people behind it. I'm super excited to work alongside such a talented, thoughtful and creative team."