AKQA founder Ajaz Ahmed to speak at top Aussie innovation festival Pause, 8-10 Feb, Melbourne

As part of its 2017 launch, Australasia’s top innovation festival, Pause, will welcome Ajaz Ahmed (left), founder of global innovation company AKQA, author of Velocity and Limitless – defining texts for the digital age.

Now in its sixth year, Pause will once again be taking over Federation Square, Melbourne, from 8-10 February 2017, bringing with it a program of presentations, panel debates, workshops and experiences from the creative, tech and business industries’ most prolific thought leaders.

Featuring amongst them will be Ajaz Ahmed who, aged 21, founded AKQA – a design-led innovation agency that employs 2,000 people globally whose work for clients including Nike, Rolls Royce, Virgin, Elton John, Usher and Burger King has established it as the most lauded agency in its field. In a world-first keynote for Pause’s Creative Day (8 February), Ahmed will share his insights into the five key characteristics he considers integral to continual business success; concepts addressed in his recently published book, Limitless.

Says Ahmed: “One characteristic that enduring organisations have is the ability to counterbalance what may at first appear to be opposing forces. Companies that have longevity continually push themselves out of their comfort zones. They have a burning passion to inspire audiences with everything they do and are directed with a set of core values and a purpose that dramatically differentiates them from their competition.”

For AKQA, from the outset, this point of difference has been its capacity to deliver an unrivalled level of thought, craft and aesthetic for each idea and experience its studios create; coupled with an approach that transcends and permeates everything it does as a company – from the work it produces, to designing a culture where ideas can flourish, to ensuring the environments in which it operates encourage creativity and experimentation. AKQA is the winner of a Queen’s Award for Enterprise Innovation, the highest accolade bestowed on UK business and its recently launched cultural community focused building AKQA Casa building in Sao Paulo brazil has been nominated for a prestigious World Archicture award.

Ahmed’s appearance at Pause is set to bring these defining AKQA values to an entirely new audience, as the festival continues to facilitate the convergence of creative, tech and business ideas, in a bid to drive the digital industries forward.

Says Ahmed: “Pause is about three things: community, connection and coaching. Everyone gets the opportunity to meet new people, share knowledge, wisdom and ideas so we can make the big or little changes to keep inspired and push the boundaries of what’s possible.”

And for Ahmed, this “possible” could involve the launch of a currently untapped AKQA market. Since the opening of its inaugural office in London, Ahmed has been deliberate about only establishing AKQA studios in the world’s cultural capitals – Paris, New York, Tokyo, São Paolo – with the full list comprising 14 cities across 10 countries worldwide. And while the company’s portfolio does not, as yet, feature an Australian entity, Ahmed attests it is a “predestined part of our strategy” – one which is set to come to fruition “sooner than you might think…”

Further events taking place across Creative Day at Pause 2017 include keynotes from an former Magic Leap human experience designer; panel debates featuring representatives from Lucasfilm, The Mill, AWARD School, and workshops from Code Like a Girl and ABC R&D to name a few.

Pause will run from Wednesday 8 to Friday 10 February 2017 (Creative Day – 8 February; Tech Day – 9 February; Business Day – 10 February).

Full programming details and ticket options are available from the website. Tickets selling fast.