Advertising industry veteran Ajaz Ahmed establishes new agency named Studio.One following departure from WPP.
** Here's a reworked version of the article:**
Ajaz Ahmed, erstwhile chief executive of AKQA, is gearing up to unveil a fresh marketing agency just six months post his departure from the WPP-owned business. Ahmed plans to challenge the slow, bureaucratic, and bloated agencies, as he put it to The Times.
The pioneering executive has been tight-lipped about Studio.One's client roster, but hinted that it would take on marketing campaigns and rival AKQA and other industry giants. The agency goes live on May 1 and boasts of investment and innovation wings, complete with a tech lab for marketing innovation and experimentation.
details about the employee strength at Studio.One are yet to be announced, but insiders hint at the recruitment of former AKQA employees. "Every day, there's an existing or ex-AKQA employee who wants to hop on board our venture," Ahmed shared with The Times.
Studio.One ditches the HR department and time-sheets, a stark contrast to Ahmed's previous stint at WPP. It also has no intention of following WPP's office-return mandate, the exec informed The Times.
Investment firm Atrum Capital is backing this independent venture.
At press time, Ahmed was unavailable for comment.
The Journey from AKQA to Studio.One
Ahmed spent three decades with AKQA, co-founding the company in 1994 at 21, and leading it until its acquisition by WPP in 2012.In 2020, the company merged with sister agency Grey to form the AKQA Group. The high-profile resignation of Ahmed and 11 other senior executives, including managing partner Erik Rogstad, followed in October 2024.The agency, with a staff strength of 5,000 and clients like Coca-Cola and Netflix, was part of the WPP group when Ahmed decided to part ways.
The Challenges before WPP
WPP itself is grappling with issues, including disappointing financial results and a Q1 2025 revenue drop of 5%. Group CEO Mark Read is banking on AI transformation and WPP's media arm GroupM to pull the company out of the slump.
Ahmed opined that WPP's strategy, which relies solely on AI, is misguided. "WPP was once the market leader, but now it's in the second division, and underperformance is accelerating," he told ADWEEK.
Enrichment Insights:
- WPP is remodeling its strategy to be competitive amidst the evolving marketing landscape. Its initiatives include:
- Enhancing digital offerings and data technology
- Integration and new business wins
- Acquisition of InfoSum, a data collaboration platform
- Scaling WPP Open, a creative transformation platform
- Focusing on AI-driven data approaches with the help of InfoSum
- Studio.One and similar new agencies pose a challenge to WPP's dominance by offering an alternative to conventional marketing strategies and bureaucracy. However, WPP counters with its extensive technology and data capabilities.
- Ajaz Ahmed, the entrepreneur behind Studio.One, will launch a new marketing agency in May, as he aims to disrupt the slow and bureaucratic market, just six months after leaving AKQA.
- Studio.One, with investment and innovation wings, has a tech lab for marketing innovation and experimentation, and could potentially take on marketing campaigns against AKQA and other giants in the industry.
- Insiders have hinted that Studio.One, despite not yet announcing details about employee numbers, may recruit former AKQA employees, as many are reportedly interested in joining the new venture.
- Unlike Ahmed's previous experience at WPP, Studio.One has no HR department, no time-sheets, and no office-return mandate, making it a more fluid and flexible working environment.
- Atrum Capital is the investment firm backing Studio.One, an independent venture led by the experienced marketing executive.
