Entrepreneurs in the Wild

What does it actually take to build a global agency from the ground up and lead it for over 25 years?   In this conversation, Ian Millner sits down with Rob Mayhew to reflect on the reality of building the global creative network Iris. How it started, what shaped its growth and the decisions that mattered along the way.   From culture and leadership to scaling the business and staying re...

Today’s episode of  Entrepreneurs In The Wild  is the third and final installment in the Iris 25 festive mini-series. Host Ian Millner leads a conversation exploring how strategy, participation, and planning have shaped Iris’s journey and their impact on the industry. Ben Essen, Global Chief Strategy Officer at Iris, Karen Correia da Silva, Senior Strategy Director, and John Grant, exper...

Winner in the Creating & Marketing category of the 2024 Signal Awards,  Entrepreneurs In The Wild  unveils the second part of the Iris 25 festive mini-series. Host Ian Millner explores how Iris has become one of the world’s most influential creative marketing agencies over its 25-year history. This episode dives into the intersection of creativity and culture in an industry undergoin...

Today’s episode of  Entrepreneurs In The Wild  is the first in an Iris festive mini-series, hosted by Ian Millner. It explores how leadership, culture, and entrepreneurial spirit have powered Iris to become a global force over 25 years. Ian is joined by Iris co-founders Claire Humphris, former CEO of Iris London, and Adam Wright, former key player at Iris now Managing Director of Big Pot...

Today Ian is joined on the wild side by ex-pro gamer, co-founder and CEO of NewGen agency Mike Craddock. For Mike it all started with video games, quickly becoming a gaming influencer from his bedroom. After building a strong network of influencer and content creator friends, Mike soon began to negotiate their sponsorship deals. Realising there was something in bridging the gap for his friends, th...

Is there an infamous 7-year itch? Today Ian Priest, founder and the ‘P’ in VCCP joins us on the wild side. Now the CEO of charity Onwards & Upwards, when he discusses his illustrious career journey to the EITW podcast studio today, the entrepreneurial spirit is tangible. Growing up within an entrepreneurial family, Priest was familiar with the high and lows of running a business from a young a...

Robert White and Stewart Hilton are the founders of ZEAL Creative, winners of Agency of the Year at the 2023 IPM Awards. Since launching in 2014, the duo have elevated ZEAL Creative to their status as one of the UK’s most influential and inspiring agencies, with particular expertise in the FMCG section. From its humble roots, ZEAL Creative now consists of almost 100 employees split between offices...

Today Ian welcomes new Iris Creative Chair Eduardo Maruri to the Wild Side. Originally from Ecuador, Eduardo has held some incredible roles across the world before Iris - all united by one thing: raw passion. When taking Ian through his career to date, we quickly realise he’s taken his creativity and passion everywhere - from leaving a Marketing Manager role to set up his own agency at 23 to runni...

Today Ian is joined on the Wild Side by organisational psychologist John Amaechi. When John takes us on his career journey, we quickly feel his sporting entrepreneurial spirit coming through. Simply being told “you can’t” inspired one kid from Stockport to be the first Brit to make it in the NBA and the other, Ian Millner to co-found one of the world’s best advertising agencies, Iris.&nb...

As the pivotal producer behind British Fashion Council’s NEWGEN showspace since 2016, an initiative central to London Fashion Weeks, Sara Blonstein extends a far-reaching cultural impact over the industry. The founder of Blonstein Creative Productions, Sara has helped launch the careers of Gareth Pugh, Henry Holland, Richard Quinn, Saul Nash, and LABRUM (the latter three all winners of The Queen E...

Should the entrepreneur wait for the perfect opportunity, or create their own? Andy Day, founder and CEO of Capital A & agencies.co joins Ian on the Wild Side today. As a serial entrepreneur, let Andy take you on a rollercoaster journey from aspiring 90s band member to moving to London with nothing to disrupting the M&A industry today. Andy’s entrepreneurial spirit has always been there -...

How do ambitious businesses land investor backing? Daina Spedding joins Ian on the Wild Side to help answer this fundamental question. As an Investor at BGF passionate about bringing more diversity and inclusion to the whole industry, Daina tells us how picking companies to back can sometimes be like speed-dating. She shares that ‘gut-feel’ has such an important part to play along with her four me...

If we train AI so well it sounds like us, who does the IP belong to? Today Ian welcomes Professor Michael G Jacobides from the London Business School to join him on the wild side. As a leading business mind globally, and expert in strategy, innovation and entrepreneurship, he reveals his journey to the studio today. Starting in economics, Michael moved into the strategy and entrepreneurship space...

Today Ian welcomes IPA Director General, Paul Bainsfair to the wild side. With almost forty years in the industry, Paul takes us through his advertising journey. From starting out at Saatchi & Saatchi (yes, the 80s really happened!) to founding his own agencies, all the way to championing diversity at the IPA today. Entrepreneurs are everywhere across the creative economy. Ian and Paul pull ap...

This week Ian is joined by fellow Iris co-founder, friend and ultra-runner Claire Humphris. Now CEO of Iris London, Claire and Ian discuss the Iris origin story. After taking the jump to be Iris employee number 1, she talks through her early career and the opportunities you can create when you’re the person who puts their hand up to do the hard things. They then discuss the importance of creating...

This week, Ian is joined on the wild side by John Farrell, a bonafide advertising legend. Together, they delve into the fascinating story of their shared history at IMP, a launchpad for some of today’s most influential business leaders and marketing agency founders. They explore the diverse pathways and personalities behind entrepreneurial success and the crucial role of adaptability required in d...

This week Ian is joined on the Wild Side by Samsung Mobile’s Head of Marketing and Omnichannel Annika Bizon. Together they discuss the importance of drive, the right mindset and how pivotal AI will be for the future of tech now that it’s firmly in the hands of the consumer. They discuss their shared belief that there’s an entrepreneur but also what sets some people apart. We also learn the im...