whiteGREY becomes part of AKQA Australia and NZ led by Asia Pacific managing partner Brian Vella

Grey has announced that it is strategically realigning offices across Australia, UAE, Italy and Belgium effective immediately to allow the company to focus on its strongest performing studios in high growth markets.

In total, five studios will be transitioning between the brands. The realignment includes four Grey studios across Australia, UAE, Italy and Belgium—that join AKQA and significantly expand their operations in those countries.

As part of the change whiteGREY will no longer exist and will become part of AKQA Australia and New Zealand, led by Asia Pacific managing partner Brian Vella (pictured above) and whiteGREY CEO Lee Simpson will step down from his role.

AKQA assumes management of these studios, with Grey’s senior management becoming part of the local leadership teams. The complementary strengths and expertise of these companies, combined with AKQA’s existing offices, have minimal role duplication and will build on the exceptional work created for clients such as Volvo, Westfield, The Coca-Cola Company and additional industry leaders.

In China, Grey will assume management of AKQA’s Shanghai studio (where both brands will continue to operate under one leadership team) and extend their heritage of Famously Effective work for brands including Volvo, L’Oreal, and Nike.

In Italy, AKQA will assume management of Grey’s Milan studio (where both brands will continue to operate under one leadership team) and continue to work collaboratively to deliver results for clients, including UniCredit which they recently won as a combined team.

This realignment is another intentional step architected by Grey global CEO Laura Maness, to realize her vision of creating ‘one borderless Grey,’ a goal she identified when she joined the company in September 2022.

Says Maness: “AKQA and Grey have already been working together in these regions, and our areas of expertise complement each other perfectly. By bringing our teams together, we’re combining the best of both worlds—Grey’s renowned creativity and AKQA’s world-class design and innovation. I’m confident that this move will benefit not only our employees but also our clients, who will have access to a truly unparalleled pool of diverse talent and expertise.”

Says Ajaz Ahmed, founder and CEO, AKQA: “We are proud to partner with Laura’s team and believe the Grey brand has lasting value. Driving operational excellence is core to our mission of delivering sustainable growth and in service of building a leaner, more agile agency to improve our performance and better enable our long-term vision.”

These moves are a key part of Grey’s future strategy and vision for accelerated growth, leveraging their core strengths and maintaining their independence as one of the world’s most creative companies. There are no plans to integrate any other Grey studio into AKQA.