Ajaz Ahmed

Spirit Untamed is a manifesto for creative independence from Ajaz Ahmed, the founder of AKQA and Studio. One. Blending memoir, strategy and soul, it offers a rare combination of emotional depth and business insight. Written with fearless honesty and poetic clarity, it’s a book for anyone building something new outside systems that seek to restrain them. With lessons on leadership, resilience and reinvention, Spirit Untamed is as much a creative toolkit as it is a personal journey. It’s a reminder that ambition, resilience, and imagination still matter – and can take you further than you think. Spirit Untamed is a deeply personal and thought-provoking collection of reflections from Ajaz Ahmed, tracing three decades of creative leadership, personal growth and cultural commentary. From growing one of the world’s most celebrated creative companies to launching a new venture built on first principles, Ajaz Ahmed offers a unique perspective on the challenges of modern leadership, the contradictions of corporate life and the quiet strength that comes from living your values. Rather than following a linear autobiography, the book unfolds thematically, exploring topics such as identity and resilience and the pursuit of meaningful work. Written in a voice that is both grounded and reflective, the book invites readers into moments of solitude, conflict, imagination and clarity. It captures the tension between building something at scale and keeping hold of what truly matters. For readers navigating moments of transition, Spirit Untamed serves as a companion for reflection and renewal. It is a portrait of what it means to build, to endure and to begin again.

Dedication and patience are crucial to leading any organization. But the most enduring companies of the modern age have something else too: leaders who saw beyond the confines of business convention and into a different future. Leaders who didn't just grow their profits, but expanded the horizons of their customers and our culture. From Henry Ford to Margaret Rudkin, Coco Chanel to Steve Jobs, their extraordinary stories still hold living wisdom for today's entrepreneurs. Learn from their ageless insights and the possibilities are limitless. In this book, Ajaz Ahmed shares his inspirations for enduring leadership. There isn't a magic formula for better leadership. But there is an enduring philosophy behind the most inspiring leaders in business, past and present. It's one that has outlasted markets, currencies, meltdowns, revolutions, and regime changes. Limitless is a celebration of the transformative power of thinking beyond conventional boundaries. Its fascinating true stories of the most audacious and accomplished business leaders remind us how the entrepreneurial spirit really does change the world for the better. The greatest leaders not only make a difference in their own times, but also leave behind the lessons they've learned for the world that goes on after them. Finding opportunities where others see obstacles, they show that the greatest investment any entrepreneur can make is to keep an open mind.

There isn’t a magic formula for better leadership. But there is an enduring philosophy behind the most inspiring leaders in business, past and present. It’s one that has outlasted markets, currencies, meltdowns, revolutions and regime changes. Limitless is a celebration of the transformative power of thinking beyond conventional boundaries. Its fascinating true stories of the most audacious and accomplished business leaders remind us how the entrepreneurial spirit really does change the world for the better. The greatest leaders not only make a difference in their own times, but also leave behind the lessons they’ve learned for the world that goes on after them. Finding opportunities where others see obstacles, they show that the greatest investment any entrepreneur can make is to keep an open mind.

How can you win when the only certainty is change? Highly accessible, lively and inspiring, Velocity draws upon the authors’ unique perspectives and experiences to present seven timeless new laws for businesses and individuals in a world that is dominated by rapid change and digital technology. Written as a fascinating and enjoyable conversation between the authors – Stefan Olander, Vice President of Digital Sport from Nike and Ajaz Ahmed founder and Chairman AKQA – Velocity's up-to-date examples illustrate key lessons, together with insights, ideas and inspiration that individuals and businesses should adopt to thrive in the digital age. Velocity shares the vision and values required to succeed with the untold backstories to influential and iconic innovation. Fast paced, useful, provocative and highly motivating, Velocity is a management book that will arm you with actionable ideas to define your future. Features: - 4 Velocity principles: Speed, Direction, Acceleration, Discipline. - 7 Laws, including 'A Smith & Wesson beats four aces', 'It’s easier done than said', 'Convenient is the enemy of right' and 'No good joke survives a committee of six'.