A conversation of AleroAkuya, the vice-president of global brand development at the LEGO Group, where there are bricks to play with in every conference room
Photo-Illustration: The Cut; Photo: Jasper Carlberg Since Alero Akuya was a little girl, her life has revolved around being creative. She journaled and wrote stories from a young age, dreaming of one day becoming an author, and participated in her school choir. While Akuya, now the vice-president of global brand development at the LEGO Group, is no longer a little girl, she stays connected to her creative inner child and seeks to empower others to do the same.
Akuya’s life is very structured, as she tells us. She loves to exercise, stick to a schedule, and packs her days with meetings. Still, the key to success for this hard worker is a lot of play. From making friends abroad to how her idea of work has changed throughout her career, here’s how she gets it done.I wake up like clockwork every day at 5:30 a.m. If it’s Danish summer, the sun is blaring through, but if it’s Danish winter, it’s super-dark.
It was such a gift to have a mentor in that way and to meet other like-minded students. It was a transformative period in my life. Growing up, there’s so many stressors and challenges around you. There’s a lot of self-doubt, and you’re still trying to find yourself. I was trying to find my voice. I was privileged to have this program that helped me find not just my singing voice but my persona of who I wanted to be.