Career

Ajaz Ahmed is an entrepreneur, author and philanthropist who has helped to shape the modern digital and design industries. As the founder of Studio.One and the founding CEO of AKQA, Ajaz has spent over three decades at the forefront of innovation, working with many of the world’s most respected companies, organisations and cultural institutions.

Throughout his career, Ajaz has championed the power of creativity and technology to inspire and serve society. Under his leadership, AKQA grew to over 5,000 people and won 81 Agency of the Year awards. It became a global reference point for excellence in digital transformation and purposeful brand experience.

Ajaz’s latest venture, Studio.One, brings together human imagination and adaptive intelligence to help businesses thrive in the AI era.

Ajaz founded the ajaz.org charitable fellowship to provide grants to education initiatives and organisations that support children and families in crisis. Ajaz has served as a Trustee on the charitable boards of: Mission 44, founded by Sir Lewis Hamilton; EJAF founded by Sir Elton John and David Furnish; Virgin Unite, founded by Sir Richard Branson and Jean Oelwang; The Prince’s Trust, founded by King Charles III (formerly The Prince of Wales); The Design Museum; Prism The Gift Fund; The Institute of Contemporary Arts and Mental Health Innovations. He is an Advisor to the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust.

Ajaz is the author of several books on leadership and entrepreneurship, including Velocity, Limitless, and Spirit Untamed.

Ajaz was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Business Administration from the University of Bath in December 2018, conferred by HRH Prince Edward, The Duke of Edinburgh. Ajaz received an honorary doctorate from Oxford Brookes University, England in 2002. Ajaz received an MBE in the June 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours for Services to Media.