Luke Nathans departs as regional CEO of Iris APAC: to be replaced by Global CEO Steve Bell

Luke Nathans, regional CEO of Iris APAC, has announced he will be departing the agency after 12 years. The role will not be immediately replaced, with Global CEO, Steve Bell, stepping in to take on duties in the region.

In his time at Iris, Nathans (pictured left) has been responsible for building Iris’ capabilities throughout Asia Pacific. Iris has worked with some of the world’s biggest brands, delivering award-winning campaigns for Lego, Guinness and Samsung. Nathans was instrumental in driving growth in key areas such as integrated strategy, B2B and health care. He was also behind innovative new offerings in the tech and design space with the introduction of Liquorice and Dokio. In 2020 he was also made Global CEO of Cultural Assets at Iris.

More recently Iris Singapore’s work for FairPrice led them to become the most talked-about brand in Singapore, dethroning Singapore Airlines for the first time in 5 years.

Nathans said: “My time at Iris has been an extraordinary ride. I’ve worked with some of the smartest Clients in the business and have been lucky enough to work alongside people far more talented than me. We have created some incredibly brave work, had some good times and hopefully made a difference to the brands and businesses we’ve partnered along the way.

“Despite the incredible shifts that we’ve experienced in the last 12 months. I’ve never felt more confident in the team and the business to continue to excite progress for our Clients. With that in mind, I think there has never been a better time for me to move on.”

Steve Bell (pictured right), Global CEO at Iris, said: “We’re really grateful to Luke for 12 years of incredible work at Iris. Luke has been at the heart of some of our most progressive and creatively driven campaigns in his time with us. He leaves the agency in great shape and in very good hands and we wish him all the success he deserves in the next chapter of his career.”