Cyril Louis has spent just 10 months as The Royals’ creative partner & ECD. He is leaving the agency after 10 months to become ECD at AKQA MENA, working from its office in Dubai. Louis is not a stranger to working in Dubai with previous roles of ECD in the Prime Minister’s Office – UAE in Dubai 2018 – 2020, and ECD MEA for IBM iX in Dubai on contract for five months in 2020.
Louis commented, “This role brings together everything I care about: creative ambition, a culture of innovation, and the chance to build something meaningful in a region full of energy and potential. I’m excited about the opportunity to shape a new chapter for AKQA MENA, one where the work isn’t just world-class, but also deeply culturally resonant and globally relevant.”
Louis had joined The Royals in October 2024 from LePub where he had been global ECD for two and a half years. He has also been global group creative director at Elephant in Los Angeles, global creative directo at R/GA in Singapore, national ECDF at Holler in Australia and national creative director at Razorfish in Australia.
Louis has an unusual educational background with a French degree in mechatronics and fine art, giving his expertise a hybrid technological-artistic edge. His creative leadership earned him recognition as a top ECD in APAC on The Drum’s World Creative Rankings 2024, with more than 250 national and international awards to date.
Jon Holloway, managing director AKQA MENA, stated, “At AKQA, our mission is to push the boundaries of what’s possible through creativity and innovation. Finding a leader who could bring that ambition to life with deep regional expertise was no small task. From the outset, Cyril stood out, a globally recognised creative whose rare blend of systems thinking and storytelling offers a powerful vision for our future.”
Andrew Siwka, founder and managing partner at The Royals, added, “The Royals understand and support Cyril’s decision to relocate to Dubai to be closer to family and wish him nothing but the best in his new role. For all of modern technology, the tyranny of distance remains. In the 10 months Cyril was with The Royals, he has made an impact that will last far longer. The search for his replacement has commenced.”
