Brian Vella was appointed to the newly-created role of APAC CEO at AKQA as a new global structure simplified the agency into three – Americas, EMEA, and APAC. Vella had joined AKQA officially in 2017 as managing partner APAC, during its merger with Melbourne digital agency, DT. He joined DT as a senior producer in 2001 and became its CEO in 2011.

Vella’s departure from the WPP-owned agency follows that of AKQA founder, Ajaz Ahmed, in October after 30 years. In April, AKQA boosted its global executive committee by four, including moving Tim Devine from executive creative director for Australia and New Zealand to chief invention officer. Vella’s departure was part of AKQA’s new global strategy to focus on local rather than regional roles. Justine Leong has been promoted from general manager to managing director of Australia and Jeremy Smart from managing director to head of growth for Australia.

Vella explained his departure on LinkedIn: “It’s difficult to put into words what leaving a company after 24 years feels like, but grateful is the one I keep returning to. To have one exceptional leader over this period is special, to have two is extraordinary. Ajaz Ahmed, thank you for trusting me with what was always the most valuable brand in our industry. Reading Limitless all those years ago inspired a dream, and working on your team made it real. In fact it was better than that. Earlier, a dozen, formative years with David Trewern was a masterclass in entrepreneurship. Together with Bet, you backed me from day one and always saw the best in me. I will never forget that belief.

“Together, I was fortunate to work with some of the region’s most iconic brands and businesses. Thank you to the leaders at Bunnings, Country Road Group, EcoOutdoor, Foodstuffs, Golf Australia, Google, HESTA, Honda, Japan Airlines, KFC, Macquarie Bank, Myer, NAB, Netflix, Nike, Officeworks, Optus, Tourism Australia, Toyota and Wesfarmers – to name a few! Your trust in us was always humbling. Working in a period of massive change and digital transformation, we were relentless in our pursuit of innovation. Always with the belief that the most imaginative force in the universe was imagination. To achieve this, I believed in high performing teams and spent two decades building them.”