

Diverse employees at AKQA have rated Team, Environment, and Work Culture as the highest categories they have scored
Women at AKQA have rated Team, Retention, and Manager as the highest categories they have scored
AKQA employees are -13% more likely to recommend AKQA as a great place to work
| 32% | Promoters |
|---|---|
| 23% | Passives |
| 45% | Detractors |
Working at AKQA is rated below average by 63 employees, across various culture dimensions. AKQA employees rate Environment highest among all categories, and think that Compensation and Professional Development have the most room for improvement, putting AKQA’s culture in the Bottom 40% compared to similar sized companies on Comparably and in the Bottom 30% compared to other companies in San Francisco. See below in detail how working at AKQA was rated by employees.
Overall Company Culture at AKQA is rated C
Last updated 4 days ago
AKQA ranks in the Bottom 40% of other companies on Comparably with 1,001-5,000 Employees for Overall Company Culture Score
Out of 22 AKQA employee reviews, 32% were positive. The remaining 68% were constructive reviews with the goal of helping AKQA improve their work culture.
| Positive Reviews | 32% |
|---|---|
| Constructive Feedback | 68% |
What is the best part about your compensation package?the salary itself that is
What are some of the best things about your team?Very professional and very smart
What is most positive about the culture and environment at your company?Many people are works really smart and professionally. And always trying to improve.
What's going wrong and how can it be improved?Micromanagement and taboo of different work methods.
What would you improve about your company's interview process?Be more strict and choosy in the people who are hired. Get quality people on board.
What does the leadership team need to get better at?Listen to it's employees and try to improve the opportunity inside the company
AKQA is the ideas and innovation company that uses the imaginative application of art and science to create ideas, products and services.
Create a better future
| Headquarter | San Francisco, CA CA 94107 United States of America |
|---|---|
| Website | akqa.com |
| Founding Date | 1994 |
| Tel | 415-645-9400 |
AKQA competitors include Huge, R/GA, and BFG. AKQA ranks 3rd in Overall Culture Score on Comparably vs its competitors. See below how AKQA compares to its competitors with CEO Rankings, Product & Services, NPS, Pricing, Customer Services, Overall Culture Score, eNPS, Gender and Diversity Scores.

63 employees at AKQA have reviewed AKQA across various culture dimensions, providing their opinions on items ranging from executive ratings to the pace at work. The latest review was 4 days ago.
Overall, the 63 AKQA employees give their leadership a grade of C-, or Bottom 30% of similar size companies on Comparably. This includes specific ratings of their executive team, CEO, and manager.
Employees at AKQA are mostly dissatisfied with their total compensation at AKQA, which includes a combination of pay, stock and equity, and benefits.
Overall, employees at AKQA are pleased with their team. 63 Participants grade the quality of their coworkers a B. The majority believe the meetings at AKQA are effective, and the majority look forward to interacting with their coworkers.
The majority of employees at AKQA believe the environment at AKQA is positive. Most Participants believe the pace of work at AKQA is comfortably fast. About 50% of the employees at AKQA work 8 hours or less, while 5% of them have an extremely long day - longer than twelve hours.
Overall, the employees at AKQA are generally happy, based on their aggregated ratings of future outlook, customer perception, and their excitement going to work.


The prevailing opinion from employees about joining AKQA is that the company was unprepared on their first day. AKQA employees concluded that their overall onboarding experience was negative. 67% said their direct manager was helpful with their acclimation during the first 90 days. First impressions are important, and how prepared a company is on your first day leaves a lasting impression.
At AKQA 33% of employees think their department KPIs and OKRs are clear. Employees’ understanding of AKQA's KPIs and OKRs is essential for its success. Out of 6 AKQA employees who’ve answered, “Are your company’s goals clear and are you invested in them?” 1 have said yes.
Ajaz’s approval rate is lower compared to CEOs at similar sized companies, putting Ajaz in the Bottom 45% of all CEOs of similar-sized companies on Comparably, and in the Bottom 35% compared to CEOs of all other companies in San Francisco. Ajaz Ahmed’s employees rank AKQA in the Top 30% for Environment, in the Top 35% for Outlook, and in the Top 35% for Team. Ahmed is generally unpopular with AKQA employees, but ranks especially low with Asian or Pacific Islander employees, and by employees with 3 to 6 Years experience and Female employees. However, employees with 1 to 3 Years experience have a slightly more favorable view of the CEO. When compared to AKQA’s competitors, Ajaz Ahmed ranks below R/GA CEO Robert Greenberg.
The AKQA Executive Team is rated a “D+” and led by CEO Ajaz Ahmed, Executive Creative Director Brendan DiBona, and Executive Creative Director Gavin McLeod
Ajaz Ahmed CEO / President
Ajaz Ahmed serves as the CEO / President of AKQA.
Brendan DiBona Executive Creative Director
Brendan DiBona serves as the Executive Creative Director of AKQA.
Gavin McLeod Executive Creative Director
Gavin McLeod serves as the Executive Creative Director of AKQA. Gavin started at AKQA in February of 2017. Gavin... read more
Rachel Barek Managing Director
Rachel Barek serves as the Managing Director of AKQA. Rachel started at AKQA in November of 2018. Rachel currently... read more
Toby Barnes Executive Strategy Director (Portland)
Toby Barnes serves as the Executive Strategy Director (Portland) of AKQA. Toby started at AKQA in June of 2018. Toby... read more
David Justus Executive Director Of Technology and Business Development
David Justus serves as the Executive Director Of Technology and Business Development of AKQA.
Roman Ptakowski Managing Director
Roman Ptakowski serves as the Managing Director of AKQA. Roman started at AKQA in November of 2018. Roman currently... read more
Heidi Rick Head Of Client Services
Heidi Rick serves as the Head Of Client Services of AKQA.
Erik Rogstad Managing Director
Erik Rogstad serves as the Managing Director of AKQA. Erik started at AKQA in June of 2012. Erik currently resides in... read more
How much do people at AKQA get paid? See the latest salaries by department and job title. The average estimated annual salary, including base and bonus, at AKQA is $138,620, or $66 per hour, while the estimated median salary is $140,898, or $67 per hour.
At AKQA, the highest paid job is a Director of Engineering at $234,001 annually and the lowest is a Copywriter at $32,000 annually. Average AKQA salaries by department include: Sales at $162,210, Engineering at $164,808, Customer Support at $98,927, and Design at $102,720. Half of AKQA salaries are above $140,898.
30 employees at AKQA rank their Compensation in the Bottom 15% of similar sized companies in the US (based on 100 ratings) while 30 employees at AKQA rank their Perks And Benefits in the Bottom 20% of similar sized companies in the US (based on 34 ratings).
Salaries contributed from AKQA employees include job titles like Senior Developer, Senior QA, Creative Director, and Art Director. Comparably data has a total of 16 salary records from AKQA employees.
Last updated a month ago.
| Summary | Salary Range | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
1st Percentile $66k | $66k | 1st Percentile |
17th Percentile $103k | $103k | 17th Percentile |
33rd Percentile $140k | $140k | 33rd Percentile |
50th Percentile $187k | $187k | 50th Percentile |
67th Percentile $235k | $235k | 67th Percentile |
83rd Percentile $272k | $272k | 83rd Percentile |
100th Percentile $283k | $283k | 100th Percentile |
* Estimated salaries Estimated salaries are based on data provided anonymously by employees and/or estimated by other statistical methods.
Diverse employees at AKQA score the company 53/100 across various culture categories, placing AKQA in the Bottom 15% of companies on Comparably with 1,001-5,000 Employees for Comparably's diversity score. The Diversity score provides insights into how diverse employees feel and rate their work experience at AKQA across various culture dimensions.
AKQA's PTO and Vacation policy typically gives 15-20 days off a year. Paid Time Off is AKQA's most important benefit besides Healthcare when ranked by employees, with 50% of employees saying it is the most important benefit. AKQA's benefits and PTO Package averages to represent a less than $500 cash value per month.

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In 2019, AKQA applied for 22 H1B visas. Of the work permits applied for, 82% were approved.
H1B Applications Outcome
This data was calculated using publicly sourced data from OFLC Performance Data

Candidates By Department
All Industries | 42% | |
|---|---|---|
Design | 23% | |
Product | 15% | |
Marketing | 11% | |
IT | 4% | |
Other | 6% |
Candidates By Location
San Francisco | 42% | |
|---|---|---|
Los Angeles | 6% | |
Washington | 6% | |
Portland | 6% | |
Boston | 6% | |
Other | 36% |
Who is the CEO of AKQA?
AKQA CEO is Ajaz Ahmed, their score by employees is 66
What is AKQA eNPS?
The eNPS for AKQA is -13
What is the salary for Senior Product Manager in AKQA?
Senior Product Manager average salary in the US is 178k
What are the salaries in the Operations in AKQA?
The average salaries for Operations in AKQA is 118k
Who are AKQA competitors?
AKQA main competitors are Huge, R/GA, BFG