Mark Walker

Mark Walker is an expert in the areas of digital marketing and new media with a career that spans over 15 years working alongside some of the world’s leading advertisers. From his early beginnings in his native South Africa, Mark was always passionate about digital innovation and the use of data and technology to drive efficiency across all sides of the business.

Walker started his marketing career in the creative agency world at BBDO in South Africa, but he quickly found his passion for digital as one of the key players in the establishment of Africa’s first online media group, Metropolis Transactive where he specialized in the development of B2B and B2C online marketplaces and the monetization of online communities.

An entrepreneur at heart, Mark later successfully adventured outside the digital field as co-founded of Trainiac, a 25-people consulting services firm in South Afria.  During his four-year tenure, the firm built an impressive portfolio of global clients that included SABMiller, SAP, GM, and Shell among others, and reached annual revenues of over USD $4mm.

In 2008, a transatlantic opportunity came knocking at his door and Mark moved to San Francisco, California as Engagement Management Director at leading digital agency Organic Inc. In this post, he led Intel’s Global Content Syndication and Shopper Marketing Programs and directed an expert team of project managers, creative professionals, designers, engineers and media strategist, that generated over USD $7mm in annual revenue for the agency.

Mark joined the IPG Mediabrands family of agencies in 2011 as VP of Programmatic Strategy at Mediabrands Audience Platform (MAP) with the main responsibility of deploying Cadreon’s programmatic media buying capabilities and Magna Global’s programmatic strategy across North American offices in New York, Los Angeles, Detroit and San Francisco. He was in charge of driving programmatic media innovation across Mediabrands’ three leading media agencies UM, Initiative and BPN, and devising best-in-class programmatic solutions for clients like Burberry, Hyundai-Kia and MasterCard.

In 2014, Mark was tasked with deploying MAP’s portfolio of digital marketing solutions across the World Markets cluster in Mediabrands, which comprises more than 50 emerging market across Asia, Africa, Europe and Latin America. As SVP, MAP, World Markets, Mark brings his expertise in digital media practices and business development to lead the delivery and evolution of specialized products like Cadreon (programmatic), Reprise Media (search), Rally (social) and Ansible (mobile).

Walker graduated from the AAA School of Marketing and Advertising in Cape Town, South Africa with a degree in Marketing and Media Strategy and obtained a postgraduate diploma in Business Management from WITS University.

He currently lives in London and loves keeping an active athletic life whether it’s cycling, swimming or running marathons. His greatest personal achievement has been riding his bike across Colorado and the Pyrenees, and he is an aspiring yogi.