Walker Sands Names Andrew Cross as President and Allison Ward as Chief People Officer

Integrated Marketing Agency Strengthens Its Award-Winning Culture and Services with these Elevations

Walker Sands, a full-service marketing agency focused on accelerating the growth of B2B brands, announced two key C-Suite promotions. Andrew Cross has been elevated to President, and Allison Ward has been named Chief People Officer, as the agency looks to further establish its place as a top B2B tech agency.

On top of more than 270% revenue growth, Walker Sands has also more than doubled its headcount in the last five years. This includes the recent acquisition of March Communications, through which Walker Sands expanded to the east coast. The firm now has five offices operating across the country in Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston and Atlanta. During this period of growth, the company has maintained a strong culture that attracts top talent, all while providing award-winning work to top B2B brands.

The recent expansion of the executive leadership team aims to advance the company’s strong growth trajectory and continued sophistication of its service teams and culture.

• Andrew Cross to President: Since joining Walker Sands on the ground floor of the public relations department 11 years ago, Cross has proven an invaluable member of the company and a people-first leader. Most recently, Cross led the agency’s public relations department, working closely with some of its biggest clients. In his role as President, Cross supports service teams across the agency’s core functions, including public relations, branding, creative services, demand generation, marketing strategy and web, while focusing on new business, strategic client support, and agency growth and development.
• Allison Ward to Chief People Officer: After joining Walker Sands in 2013, Ward spent seven years working on the services side of the business, first in public relations, then on some of the company’s first integrated accounts. Her award-winning work brought industry recognition to the agency as it was growing. Ward took over the Talent Department in 2020 and has worked to create a more inclusive and supportive work environment by implementing policies like Walker Sands’ fully-paid 12-week family leave and strengthening the company’s DEI strategies. In her role as Chief People Officer, Ward oversees all of Walker Sands’ people and talent functions, focusing on attracting and recruiting top talent and maintaining a positive company culture.

“The strengthening of our executive team is an important step in supporting Walker Sands’ top-tier talent and continued growth. Andrew and Allison have been dedicated leaders at our agency for many years, and will be essential in continuing to move us forward,” said Walker Sands CEO Mike Santoro. “Even as we grow our service offerings and attract bigger accounts, we are working hard to continue creating a flexible, people-first culture. This includes our most recent commitment to offering both hybrid and fully remote work options so that our people can work in the space that is best for them. I am excited to continue working closely with Andrew and Allison to bring more innovation to our award-winning culture and services.”

Walker Sands was most recently named a 2022 Best Place to Work in both Chicago and Seattle by Built in, and has previously been awarded for company culture by PRovoke, The Chicago Tribune, and Crain’s Chicago Business. The agency’s client work is also regularly recognized by awards, including SABRE, AVA Digital, MarCom, Hermes Creative, and PRSA.

To learn more about Walker Sands or join the team, visit https://www.walkersands.com/about/careers/.

About Walker Sands

Walker Sands is a full-service B2B marketing agency with core capabilities in public relations, demand generation, branding, creative, marketing strategy and web. The firm’s integrated approach to marketing drives awareness, credibility and conversions for 100+ clients around the world. A nine-time Inc. 5000 honoree, Walker Sands is one of the fastest-growing B2B marketing agencies in the world, with offices in Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston and Atlanta. Learn more at https://www.walkersands.com, and for career opportunities visit https://www.walkersands.com/about/careers/.

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