AKQA restructures into three P&Ls, names CEOs to lead them

AKQA has restructured the global agency into three P&Ls covering EMEA, the Americas and Asia-Pacific and appointed chief executives to run them.

Under the shake-up, Geoff Northcott, chief experience officer and managing partner on AKQA’s executive board with responsibility for Europe, has been promoted to chief executive of EMEA. He will be based in London in the role.

Tesa Aragones, president of North America, has been named chief executive of Americas, and Brian Vella, managing partner in APAC, is now chief executive of the region.

A global executive committee, led by Stephan Pretorius, interim chair of AKQA and chief technology officer at WPP, has been appointed to oversee the changes.

Laura Maness, global chief executive of Grey, and Aragones, Northcott and Vella are also on the newly created executive committee. Other members include four chief creative officers—Shu Hung, Diego Machado, Hugo Viega and Peter Lund—chief financial officer Jon Eggar and chief people officer Amy Oliver.