Iris hires Shehan Karunatilaka as creative group head for Singapore

Karunatilaka, previously creative director at Grant McCann-Erickson, will join this month and work across the independent agency’s range of clients including Sony Ericsson, Diageo, Heineken, Tiger, Red Bull, adidas and Unilever.

During his career, he has worked with clients including Volkswagen, Coca-cola, Nike, Nestlé and Disney.

Karunatilaka will report into creative director Tom Ormes, who now heads up the agency’s 20-strong creative department following the departure of Kelly Finnegan earlier this month to pursue a music career in the UK.

On the appointment, Ormes said, “It’s great to have one of the industry’s brightest talents on board and I have no doubt that he’ll continue to drive the quality of our creative output.”

Karunatilaka added: “There’s a real buzz about Iris. They’re leaner, hungrier, more focused and more open in their thinking.”