AKQA Picks Up Wood From Taxi

Digital agency AKQA has successfully wooed Taxi creative director Jim Wood to help run its growing New York creative team. Wood will report to Chief Creative Officer Rei Inamoto, who is based at the agency's SoHo offices and also oversees its Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Shanghai locations.

Wood, a veteran of JWT, is the second creative director AKQA New York has added this year. He joins Lynn Teo, head of UX, who came to the agency from SapientNitro in January. His career spans traditional and digital experience, and his work has been recognized at The One Show, Art Directors Club, and Communication Arts.

Wood's "brand-building and storytelling ability will add an excellent dimension to Lynn's deep knowledge of user experience and product innovation," Inamoto said in a statement.

The agency, whose clients include Audi, Heineken, Nike, Target, Visa, and Xbox, has doubled the size of its creative department. That growth includes senior art directors, user experience designers, and copywriters from both digital and traditional backgrounds.