AKQA has appointed two new leaders to its Australian team, Nicole Armstrong and Zoë Freeman to lead strategy and growth.

Armstrong, who previously worked with brands such as Nike, IKEA, Google, Sephora, Givenchy, and Rimowa, has been hired as portfolio and strategy lead. She brings with her experience from an 18-month stint in a similar role at AKQA's UK office.

"Nik joins us to lead our Strategy Department, moving from our AKQA London Studio. Nic has worked with game changing brands such as Nike, IKEA, Google, Sephora, Givenchy, Rimowa, along with several start-up technology, lifestyle and neobank brands," said AKQA MD for Australia, Jeremy Smart.

Freeman, on the other hand, has been appointed as growth and partnerships director for A/NZ. She returns to AKQA from Deloitte Digital, bringing with her a wealth of experience from the enterprise landscape, complex digital ecosystems and customer experience challenges.

"As we continue to grow our relationships with our technology partners we welcome Zoe as Director of Growth and Partnerships. Having previously worked at AKQA, Zoe re-joins us from Deloitte Digital. She brings her experience from the enterprise landscape, complex digital ecosystems, and customer experience challenges back to AKQA with her signature enthusiasm and passion for digital," Smart added.

These appointments come after Jeremy Smart joined the local AKQA business last October, following a three-and-a-half-year tenure as GM of APJ at martech vendor, Acoustic.