Nathans will report to iris' joint global CEOs Ian Millner and Stewart Shanley and will be based out of the network's Singapore office. He will continue to chair the Asia-Pacific board of iris, which comprises the leaders of iris’ offices in Asia as well as its leaders in creative, planning, consulting and digital.
Nathans steps into a role vacated by Josh Thomson who left his position with iris to head strategic consultancy Concise in Australia last April. Millner has been filling the role for the past 18 months prior to Nathans' appointment.
According to Ian Millner, joint global CEO of iris, Nathan's appointment is part of the network's overall growth strategy. "As the network grows, it will become more important to release more autonomy internationally to enable iris to continue empowering talented and entrepreneurial people in the diverse and exciting markets we now operate in," he said.
Nathans has been with iris for four years, joining as managing director of the agency's Asia-Pacific experiential arm. Prior to this, he worked for agencies including Ogilvy & Mather, OgilvyOne, Belgiovane Williams Mackay, G2, The One Centre and TBWA Tequila UK.
In his new role, Nathans will play a key role in iris' planned entry into the Middle-East and North Africa. The network recently launched in Indonesia, via a licensing deal with Indonesian agency Nava+ and its current headcount in APAC stands at 400.