Stephen van Elst

Stephen Van Elst has extensive work experience in the creative communications industry. Stephen started their career as a Designer at Kingsley & Associates in 1998. Stephen then worked as a Senior Designer at Fitch Worldwide, where they built the new media team and developed an international reputation for excellence in online branding and multimedia. After that, they joined Imagination Group as a Senior Art Director, where they developed award-winning multimedia and interactive design solutions. Stephen worked closely with environmental designers and architects to create brand experience media. Stephen then joined SEE as a Creative Director, where they transformed a small online team into a large interactive and digital team. Later, they worked as a Creative Director at Australian Business Theatre, leading digital teams in Melbourne and Sydney, and developing strong strategic platforms for world-class digital executions. Stephen also worked as a Creative Director at Spinifex Group, leading major installation projects in Asian and North American markets. During their time at Iloura, they served as a Design Director, overseeing character animation, matte painting, compositing, FX animation, and motion design for the film, television, and advertising industries. Most recently, Stephen has been serving as the Global Creative Innovation Director at Imagination since 2019.

Stephen Van Elst attended Bellarine Secondary College from 1990 to 1995, where they completed their VCE. Following this, they enrolled at the University of Ballarat from 1996 to 1998, where they pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree with a focus on Visual Arts, specifically Graphic Design and multimedia.