Ian Millner, Founder of Iris Worldwide, takes up new roles in first moves since his departure
Ian Millner, who founded advertising agency Iris Worldwide in April 1999 and hosts the podcast ‘Entrepreneurs in the Wild’, has taken on his first new roles since his departure from the agency in March.
After 26 years spent building Iris Worldwide from a challenger start-up into an established and respected global creative network, Millner stepped down from his role as Global CEO. Now, he has been appointed to two newly-created roles: Chairman of independent brand activation group Zeal and Non-Executive Chairman of creator economy agency NewGen, both positions designed to support each business’s next phase of growth.
At Zeal Group, Millner will work alongside founders Stewart Hilton and Robert White as the business continues its expansion strategy following the acquisition of social-first studio Tommy and the launch of retail and shopper PR agency Joe Public. The group works with brands including Nestlé, Carlsberg Britvic, Suntory, Kraft Heinz, Kellanova, Arla, Essity and Revlon.
At NewGen, Millner is set to support CEO and co-founder Mike Craddock and the leadership team as the creator economy agency continues its international expansion and investment in technology, talent and creator-led marketing. The agency, which operates across London, New York, Paris, and Manchester, works with brands including Samsung, PepsiCo, P&G, Galderma and Activision Blizzard.
Millner has also joined MSQ as a Non-Executive Director, supporting the group’s continued growth across marketing, communications and consultancy.
Industry veteran Dani Richa transitions to Non-Executive Chairman role at Impact BBDO
Group Chairman and CEO of Dubai-based regional marketing communications group Impact BBDO, Dani Richa, is set to transition from his role to become a Non-Executive Chairman. In this capacity, he will support the agency’s long-term strategic direction and continuing to champion its creative legacy across the region.
Amid this transition, Impact BBDO, the largest agency network within Omnicom Group, will align more closely with Omnicom Advertising’s connected regional and global structure. Country CEOs across Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE will report directly to Cem Topcuoglu, CEO of Omnicom Advertising CEE & AME.
Richa has spent more than 38 years in leadership roles at Impact BBDO, having joined as Chairman and Global CEO in 1987. Alongside this, he has served as a member of the BBDO Worldwide Board and Chairman of the Board of Omnicom Media Group MENA.
He has additionally been involved with a wide range of industry and cultural associations, serving two terms as Chapter President of the International Advertising Association and receiving the National Order of the Cedar, the highest state order in Lebanon, in recognition of his considerable contributions to the marketing and advertising industry.
Former Publicis exec joins Board of Advisors at DAIVID
Advertising and technology leader Steve Simpson has joined creative intelligence platform DAIVID as part of its Board of Advisors.
Simpson spent eight years as a Senior Global Executive at Publicis Groupe and has held senior leadership positions at Dentsu, Starcom, Mindshare and GroupM. At GroupM, he also served for eight years as CEO of Business Science, the group’s analytics and effectiveness division.
Altogether, he brings more than three decades of experience across the global agency, media and marketing technology ecosystem to his new position on the Board. Simpson’s career has focused on the intersection of media investment, measurement and effectiveness, making him a respected voice on measurement and marketing performance.
Simpson joins DAIVID’s advisory group alongside several other industry veterans, including Board Chairman Rob Sherlock, previously Chairman of ADK and Chief Creative Officer at FCB; Carolyn Taylor, former CEO of culture consultancy Walking the Talk; and Phil Townend, formerly Chief Growth Officer at Amplified and APAC Chief Revenue Officer at Unruly.
Untold Fable appoints former Absolute Post Head of Edit as Senior Editor
Film production company Untold Fable has appointed Tom Boucher, previously Head of Edit at independent creative studio Absolute Post, as its new Senior Editor.
Boucher is set to play a key role in strengthening the organisation’s post-production offering amid growing global demand for its range of services.
Boucher will oversee the development of post-production processes, deliver premium editing and motion graphics across a diverse portfolio of projects, mentor junior members of the team, and shape and elevate the company’s creative output.
Prior to joining Untold Fable, Boucher spent nine years at Absolute Post,where he worked across commercial, short film and music video projects for global brands including Mercedes, The Macallan and BMW. He has also held past roles at Signal TV, the BBC, and Independent Films.
Based at Untold Fable’s London headquarters, he will report directly to Becci Ride, Untold Fable’s Head of Production.
Alongside Boucher, Untold Fable has brought in Arneece Maynard, formerly a Creative Project Manager at Mass Appeal, as Junior Producer. Based at Untold Fable’s New York office, Maynard will report to Executive Producer Shyanne Wester.
Dominic Rebello joins Freedom Media Group as Head of Strategy
Independent media agency Freedom Media Group has appointed senior strategist Dominic Rebello as its Head of Strategy.
Rebello brings with him more than 15 years of strategic experience at highly-respected UK network agencies, notably MediaCom, where he cemented the strategy function as a central pillar of the agency’s client offering and new business success.
At FMG, Rebello will focus on four priorities: deepening relationships with key clients including LMA, Liverpool City Council, The NHS, Lexus, Acdoco and HPAC through data-led growth planning; refining the agency’s internal strategic process; leading new business development; and shaping FMG’s external voice through thought leadership and trade press.
Doceree names new Chief AI Officer and Chief Innovation Officer
Doceree, an AI-powered operating system for healthcare marketing, has announced the appointments of Yeshwanth “Yesh” Srinivasan as Chief AI Officer and Graham Wilkinson as Chief Innovation Officer.
Srinivasan joins as the company’s first Chief AI Officer, bringing more than 18 years experience with building AI, machine learning, data science, and engineering organizations across medical imaging, computer vision, media, and adtech. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Data Science and Engineering at TripleLift. Prior to this, Srinivasan served in data leadership roles at Dotdash and Dailymotion.
Wilkinson joins in the role of Chief Innovation Officer after more than 20 years in advertising and marketing, having spent the last decade focused on AI, innovation, and R&D inside the world’s largest agencies. In his most recent role, he served as Chief Innovation Officer and Global Head of Artificial Intelligence, EVP at Acxiom, and before this held the same title at Kinesso for more than five years. He has also held product leadership roles at Reprise Digital and Dentsu.
Born Social strengthens creative leadership team with promotion of Simon Cooper to Executive Creative Director
Social-first creative agency Born Social has strengthened its creative leadership team with the promotion of Simon Cooper to the newly-created role of Executive Creative Director.
Cooper takes up the role more than two years after he first joined Born Social as Creative Director in January 2024. With more than 20 years’ experience across social, broadcast and agency environments, Cooper has focused on raising the creative standard of the agency’s output while helping shape its culture, client relationships and creative ambition.
In his new role, Cooper will report to Chief Creative Officer Paddy Smith, who recently relocated to the US to help lead the agency’s growing presence in the region. The two will focus on shaping the agency’s creative vision, strengthening its industry reputation, and expanding its new business opportunities. Cooper is also set to play a central role in developing the agency’s creative culture and leadership teams.
Before joining Born Social, Cooper held Creative Director roles at That Lot and worked in production at BBC Radio 1 and Dave (UKTV).
Independent Media appoints Chris Anthony as President, North America
Independent Media, publisher of The Independent, has announced the appointment of Chris Anthony as President, North America. In his role as President, Anthony will oversee Independent Media’s North American business, drive revenue growth, and run all related operations.
Anthony joins Independent Media from VaynerX, where he served as Chief Revenue Officer at Gallery Media Group while simultaneously helping launch The Tamara Group, VaynerX’s third agency, as its founding Chief Client Officer. Prior to this, Anthony held senior executive roles at Group Nine Media and POPSUGAR.
Reporting directly to Independent Media’s CEO, Christian Broughton, Chris will be responsible for building on the company’s momentum as it celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, alongside celebrating 10 years as a fully digital publisher. Anthony will also lead the growth of the company’s Independent Studio, AI innovation, and Ecommerce divisions. These key pillars, along with Independent Media’s US operations, already represent more than 60% of global revenue.
Joan London appoints new Head of Strategy
Female-founded creative agency Joan London has announced the appointment of Nicky Vita, formerly at Atomic London, to the role of Head of Strategy.
Vita’s appointment follows hot on the heels of the hiring of Gerry Graf, who was appointed Global Chief Creative Officer earlier this month and will work out of the agency’s New York headquarters.
Most recently, Vita spent more than two years at Atomic London, where she also held the role of Head of Strategy and oversaw clients including Ladbrokes, Greater Anglia, Nest Pensions, Sipsmith and Uber Boats. Prior to this, she was Group Planning Director and then Head of Planning at VCCP, where she spent more than five years leading a large team of 60-80 planners and working on brand accounts including Primark, LinkedIn and 02. She has also held strategy and planning roles at BBH Global and McCann London.
Sam Greenslade is appointed Managing Director, Europe & America at Carma
Media intelligence and market research solutions provider Carma has appointed Sam Greenslade as Managing Director, Europe & America.
In the new role, Greenslade is set to lead all functions across Europe and America, overseeing strategy, growth, profitability and operational performance. Greenslade has been with the organisation since October 2023, when he joined as Global Sector Lead, later rising to Managing Director, Commercial – Europe & US in January 2025, where he worked closely with global brands to develop integrated research and intelligence programmes that supported business growth and informed strategic decision making.
Before joining CARMA, Greenslade held senior commercial leadership positions at Cision and GWI, and has also worked at EMAP and the Financial Times.
Chris Olsen joins UniLED as Executive Advisor, Growth and Partnerships in the US
Adtech company UniLED Software has named Chris Olsen as Executive Advisor, Growth and Partnerships for its US operations.
Reporting directly to CEO Ben Zloof, Olsen will work closely with Jill Rothenhauser, who recently joined as US head of partnerships, and the UniLED senior leadership team. In the newly-created role, Olsen will work with agencies, media partners, technology platforms, and brand partners to expand industry collaboration as well as drive broader market alignment around trusted measurement and verification standards.
Olsen joins UniLED from RapportWW, where he spent more than eight years, first as Director and then East Coast, VP before serving as President for more than five years. He has also held senior roles at WPP and MEC.
Tug appoints Dentsu X Managing Partner Asher Gordon as Managing Director EMEA
Indpendent brand and performance marketing agency Tug has appointed Asher Gordon to the role of Managing Director EMEA. Asher joins from Dentsu X and brings with him more than 15 years of senior experience across performance marketing and digital media.
Gordon spent four years at dentsu X as Global Digital Partner before being promoted to Managing Partner in April 2023. Prior to dentsu, he held the position of Global Group Account Director at PHD and before that spent six years as Digital Director at MEC – now Wavemaker.
Gordon returns to Tug having worked as Head of Biddable Media between 2018 and 2022.
