Iris London has strengthened its senior team with the appointments of Ali Proctor-Walsh as head of operations and Vicci Whitlow as head of production.
The global creative agency said the appointments form part of its investment in the expertise and experience needed for its next phase of growth. Proctor-Walsh will report to Iris London chief executive Zoe Eagle, while Whitlow will report to global chief creative officer Menno Kluin.
Proctor-Walsh brings more than 18 years of experience across creative, technology, and innovation. As head of operations, she will lead day-to-day operational delivery across Iris London and work on efficiency, scalability, and governance across the agency’s creative and production functions.
Her previous roles include production and creator marketing lead, EMEA at Meta Creative Shop and executive producer at Nexus Studios. She has worked on accounts including Apple, Jaguar Land Rover, Disney, L’Oréal, and LVMH.
Whitlow joins with more than 20 years of integrated production experience from creative agencies in London, Amsterdam, and San Francisco. She will oversee production output across the London office, managing projects from ideation through to delivery across film, digital, print, and integrated campaigns.
Most recently, Whitlow served as head of integrated production at Karmarama / Accenture Song UK, where she worked on clients including the British Army, Confused.com, Peugeot, and Lidl.
Zoe Eagle, CEO at Iris London, said: “Ali is the operational leader that an agency like Iris needs right now. She brings nearly two decades of experience building and scaling high-performing teams across creative, production and technology. I’m looking forward to seeing what she’ll build here.”
Ali Proctor-Walsh said: “Iris has the ambition to do things differently and the culture to support it. The opportunity to bring my experience of connecting creativity, production and operations into a business that genuinely values all three was hugely attractive. I’m looking forward to helping create the conditions for brilliant people to do their best work and for ambitious ideas to thrive.”
Menno Kluin, global CCO at Iris, said: “Vicci is exactly the kind of producer that makes creative work better. She brings rigour, craft and genuine passion to every project, and with more than two decades of experience at some of the best agencies in London, she knows how to get brilliant work made.”
Whitlow added: “I’ve always admired Iris for its challenger spirit and the quality of creative ambition across the agency. This felt like the right moment to bring my production experience into an environment that genuinely values craft, and I’m looking forward to building on that from day one.”
The appointments come as agencies face pressure to combine creative ambition with more disciplined operating models. Brand clients are demanding faster delivery, more integrated campaigns, sharper production efficiency, and clearer accountability across channels. Agencies are being asked to produce work across film, digital, social, experiential, retail, influencer, performance, and owned media without letting complexity undermine quality or cost control.
Operations and production roles have become more strategic as a result. They now influence governance, margin management, technology adoption, process design, talent deployment, and how agencies scale without diluting craft.
Production leadership is changing as integrated campaigns require producers who can move between formats, markets, budgets, and delivery models. Creator marketing, AI-assisted workflows, remote collaboration, and platform-specific content have expanded the production brief while placing more weight on rights, compliance, consistency, and speed.
Clients increasingly want flexibility and certainty at the same time. They need agencies to respond quickly to cultural moments and platform changes while providing predictable delivery, transparent costs, and strong governance. That tension makes experienced operational leadership more valuable, particularly in larger agency offices with multiple specialist teams.
Iris London’s appointments suggest a focus on strengthening the infrastructure behind creative output. Proctor-Walsh’s experience across creative, technology, and production, combined with Whitlow’s integrated production background, gives the agency more senior capacity at the point where growth, delivery, and craft intersect.
The agency market is still adjusting to tighter marketing budgets and higher expectations around effectiveness. Senior production and operations appointments are becoming one way for agencies to protect both ideas and margins.
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