D&AD’s Creative Leaders Programme teaches creative directors, founders, and CEOs the skills to lead businesses and deliver commercially, using creativity as the driving force for success. We asked Peter Semple, CEO of Depop, and Ajaz Ahmed, former CEO of Akqa for over 20 years, to impart some of the knowledge they shared with the inaugural cohort. Here’s what they had to say.
Creative leadership isn't a skill you ‘complete,’ it’s a continuous, adaptive process of learning, reflecting, and evolving in response to changing contexts, people, and challenges. This philosophy underpins D&AD’s Creative Leaders Programme, which recently concluded its inaugural cohort of 17 participants, who honed their business and leadership skills and established a lasting network of peers who understand this journey. As the program prepares to enter its second year, we asked Peter Semple, CEO of Depop, and Ajaz Ahmed, Partner at Studio.One and former CEO of Akqa, both of whom served as instructors for the 2025 cohort, to share some of the learnings they shared with participants.
You’ve heard it before: creativity is fundamentally about taste and understanding the world around you. Building on this idea, Semple emphasizes that creative leaders need to fully comprehend both the internal and external contexts to effectively address the unique challenges faced by their business. “The best creative leaders I've worked with are obsessed with understanding the internal workings of the business. This knowledge allows them to produce the right work, navigate internal expectations, and ultimately solve the most pertinent problems,” he says.
Semple also points out the diminishing separation between the archetype of the genius creative leader and that of a business leader, which has resulted in greater pressure on creative leaders today. His advice for managing this increased burden? Surround yourself with brilliant people. “No one has all the answers,” he explains. “You need to surround yourself with talented people you can rely on – those who bring depth of experience, fresh ideas, and new perspectives. Being a creative leader today is significantly more challenging than it was 10 or 15 years ago. There are now more channels and ways to engage consumers, as well as countless distractions vying for their attention. At the core of this is the understanding that no matter how smart you are, you’ll only arrive at the right answer a fraction of the time. You need to be willing to rely on others.”
According to our experts, fostering a culture of continuous improvement begins with a leader who sets ambitious goals while trusting their team to achieve them.
“You must start with a bold vision to inspire people to pursue something greater than themselves,” says Ahmed. This approach requires a balance of autonomy and discipline, where risk-taking is encouraged but high standards remain non-negotiable. He emphasizes: “High performance starts with setting ambitious goals aimed not just at being good, but at being the best. An organization must challenge conventional wisdom, promote a culture of continuous improvement, and never settle for the status quo.”
Semple, meanwhile, shares a memorable insight from a former boss at Google. When asked by a visiting Nike executive how to prioritize time without a year-long roadmap or defined objectives and key results (OKRs), the response was: “We hire adults.” Now in his own leadership role, Semple ensures that his team is empowered to make decisions and possesses the necessary context to effectively determine where their focus should lie.
D&AD’s Creative Leaders Programme will teach leaders valuable practical skills like how to use financial insights to guide decision-making, and how to become a more powerful communicator. But also teach you how to understand your core values. Ahmed says: “Our industry needs people who are willing to challenge their own assumptions, are courageous, curious, empathetic, and encourage experimentation. We need leaders who are able to anticipate customer needs, navigate uncertainty, and see opportunities where others might see challenges. It’s a lot for one person to learn how to do, and that’s why leadership is a constant learning process.”
The D&AD Creative Leaders Programme has 17 delegates, ensuring an intimate environment to learn alongside peers at similar stages in their careers. The 2026 program includes a mix of virtual and in-person sessions. Apply by 20 November 2025.
