Akcelo Hires DDB’s Jayde Smith as Group Director of Technology

Akcelo has appointed Jayde Smith to the newly-created role of group director of technology, effective immediately.

The former general manager of digital and technology at DDB Group Australia spent nine years at the network, where he began as head of digital integration on the McDonald’s account. Jayde also delivered award-winning technology and innovation work for Volkswagen, Westpac, and Coles.

Jayde will lead Akcelo’s technology team in partnership with head of technology Richard Scanlon, who is shifting to a hands-on engineering and technology architectural role.

The two will build on the agency’s technical capabilities, including native mobile engineering, commerce experience, large scale martech and CMS implementations, and bespoke product and service development.

Akcelo CEO and co-founder Aden Hepburn said Jayde’s appointment reflects the company’s continued investment in “building a world-class technology and innovation offering”.

“Jayde is known for his collaborative approach and passion for driving incredible solutions, he brings a wealth of experience in agency–client partnerships, product development and platform delivery, all of which will be key to advancing Akcelo’s broader technology offering to our wonderful client partners,” Aden said.

Jayde said “it was time for a new chapter -- one where I could continue to grow, challenge myself, and contribute to the future of creative technology in a new way.”

“What makes this next step even more exciting is that it doesn’t feel entirely new. I’ve known Aden Hepburn and Miles Scott [COO] for over nine years, and together with a number of people at Akcelo, we’ve collaborated as agency partners throughout that time on one of Australia’s most iconic brands -- McDonald’s. I couldn’t be more excited to reunite with this powerhouse team in a new capacity.

“In my new role, I’ll be championing creative technology and driving our innovation offering forward to deliver cutting-edge experiences across an incredible portfolio of brands.”

Akcelo is currently developing its agentic AI capabilities to enhance the agency’s client relationships and support “continued delivery of both bespoke and enterprise-level technology solutions”.

“The opportunity to lead a growing innovation practice, drive creative technology forward, and work alongside people I’ve admired and collaborated with for nearly a decade made this move incredibly compelling,” Jayde added.

“At a time when technology, creativity and brand experience are intersecting in powerful new ways, I’m excited to help shape what the future of marketing looks like — and to do it with a team that’s not only ambitious, but also deeply passionate about delivering remarkable work.”