Chris McNulty Returns to Walrus as Director of Growth

Chris McNulty has rejoined Walrus as director of growth, following a strong year for the New York indie agency.

The move marks Chris’ third stint at Walrus, where he began as an intern in 2019 before joining the account team post-graduation. He is now back to help drive the agency’s long-term growth, following a two-year stint at TAXI, where he most recently held the role of account supervisor. “I rejoined the agency because of the momentum, the amazing team, and the culture,” says Chris, speaking with LBB.

According to Walrus co-founder and CEO Frances Webster, 2024 was a “good year” for the business. Chris’ return is part of a broader push to build on that momentum in 2025. “Business development has been a cornerstone of our DNA since day one,” she explains, pointing to the sheer number of agencies across the US – and beyond – as a reminder that waiting for the phone to ring is a risky strategy. Chris’ goal is to scope out more clients like Amazon, Colgate-Palmolive’s hello, Breeze Airways, and Lowes Foods, all of which are in the Walrus portfolio. “He knows the agency,” adds Frances, discussing Chris’ fit for the role. “He knows the industry. He understands good business. And he’s a fantastic human.”

Chris sees Walrus’ secret weapon as the culture Frances and CCO Deacon Webster have built around ‘calculated misbehaviour’ – a formula that’s helped the agency thrive independently for over 20 years. It’s one that he believes marries brand, consumer and market insights with humour, smarts, and self-awareness. “Brands need to sell,” he says, “but perhaps even more importantly, they need to be remembered in a positive light.”

This will further shape Chris’ approach to new business, which is rooted in a philosophy of quality over quantity. He and Frances are focused on companies poised for significant growth, and marketers eager to stand out. “It’s about building mutually beneficial partnerships that drive real growth,” he says. “Walrus’ goal is to build relationships with some of the world’s most innovative brands and companies. There’s a genuine intrigue that drives me to identify brands at a critical part in their growth journey and highlight those opportunities where Walrus can be a true asset in excelling both their brand awareness and brand performance.”

He stresses that clients tend to hire Walrus when they are at an inflection point. Perhaps they’re looking to be bought, have just been bought, have hit a certain level of sales that suggests they can put more spend behind advertising, or have rung all they can out of response media and need to add in proper brand advertising to drive demand. “We take these companies to the next level,” says Chris.

For example, Colgate-Palmolive hired Walrus after it bought hello toothpaste and needed an awareness-building brand campaign to support national distribution. XOJet, Jet Edge, and Emergen-C all brought Walrus in the lead-up to a sale. The Farmer's Dog and Breeze Airways both had been doing all direct-to-consumer response work, and were ready to start doing brand work when they brought Walrus in.

Walrus is purpose-built to suit companies at these key inflection points. Its billing structure, processes and standard process are, says Chris, all customised for businesses at these particular inflection points. “And most importantly,” he adds, “because we're usually dealing with brands that don't have super high awareness numbers, the work itself needs to be highly memorable to cut through and be effective.

“We pride ourselves on that.”