Iris Singapore picks new executive creative director

Creative agency Iris Singapore has picked Paolo Agulto as its new executive creative director. In his new role he will be charged with elevating the agency’s creative output, rounding out a slew of global and local hires.

Agulto will be supported by global chief creative officer Menno Kluin, and creative chairman Eduardo Maruri, who were also brought on recently as part of Iris.

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Agulto brings over 17 years of experience in the creative industry. He joins from Accenture Song where he held the position of creative director for two years.

Prior to Accenture Song, he held the role of creative director at The Secret Little Agency and was creative group head at both BLK J Havas and DDB Group Singapore. He started his career as a copywriter at Saatchi & Saatchi.

“Agulto is an incredibly sharp, modern creative stepping into this role with hunger and ambition. We needed someone who shared Iris’ ‘participants not passengers’ mentality, not just in the kind of work we create, but also in how we work and the culture we create at Iris”, said Rebecca Nadilo, managing director of Iris.

Agulto will be tasked with collaborating closely with Shea Warnes, Iris Singapore’s recently appointed chief strategy officer, as “it’s in the strategy x creative partnership where the sharpest creativity happens”, added Nadilo.

Warnes is responsible for leading integrated strategy and further propelling Iris’ social and content product, Iris Inc (which stands for 'igniting new creators').

“Agulto's impressive experience means we have a leader calibrated to create value and earn attention. That's exciting to me, broadening our aperture to more different shaped solutions,” said Warnes. “That’s the type of work that excites me, but more importantly our clients are asking for.”

“Participation has always been at the heart of my work. I couldn’t be more excited to join a creative community where participation is not just another buzzword, but the driving force of everything that we do," added Agulto. "Now that audiences have a myriad of ways to avoid brands, it’s more important than ever to create work that people actually want in their lives. I’m confident that the talent around me can do exactly that.”

In addition to Agulto and Warnes bolstering the agency’s leadership, Iris Singapore has also promoted Yingting Low to head of content.

She will continue leading Iris Inc’s creator and community capabilities, developing creator and platform relationships, driving media planning, and leveraging AI in the agency’s content creation and dissemination process.

"As community and culture become integral to buying decisions, Iris is focused on ideas that earn attention rather than just paying for it. With Agulto, Warnes, and Low leading the charge, we are ready to deliver work that both excites clients and resonates with audiences," Nadilo added.

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