Jon Ip appointed to Managing Director, Shanghai

AKQA has announced the appointment of Jon Ip as Managing Director for AKQA Shanghai. Jon’s promotion is part of a management transition strategy, putting creative thinking at the centre of innovation, experience and solution design capabilities.

Jon was born in Hong Kong, raised in New York and shaped by Shanghai. He has more than 20 years of industry experience and has been with AKQA since 2019.

Jon said: “I’m incredibly honoured by the trust that AKQA put in me, by giving me the extraordinary opportunity to lead AKQA in China at such a momentous time.” His mantra is, Why not? With this mindset, he aims to incite an open and diverse culture with creativity fueled innovation at the core.

Jon continued: “China moves at an incredible pace, and it has been spectacular to first-hand both witness and contribute to its change in the past decade. Brands that want to succeed in this market have to move and think fast. My goal for the Shanghai studio is to continue to be our client’s go-to partner, to co-create innovative solutions that solve tomorrow’s challenges, whatever they may be.”

Brain Vella, Managing Partner for Asia Pacific said: “The combination of Jon’s creative background, local experience, and genuine passion to create the future faster made him a unique choice. One which we believe is in keeping with our ethos to challenge the status quo. We’re tremendously excited to see what he and the team create in the next chapter for the esteemed studio.”

This appointment comes at an exciting time for our Shanghai studio, with new business work for clients such as Lego, L’oréal and Block1. In addition to the extension of the Online-to-Offline spatial design offering in the region, in partnership with Universal Design Studio.

Jon Ip will report directly to Brian Vella, who continued: “Leaving my Executive Creative Director role, no person is better placed to appoint my successor than Jon. With our shared ambition, this is a process we’re excited about working on together and is already underway.”

The move comes after three successful years of Sam Sterling’s leadership, who has taken on the role of Chief Strategy Officer for AKQA across Asia Pacific. Jon’s promotion will give Sam even greater reach and influence across the region.