MSLGROUP has named agency veteran and global brand marketing expert John Walker as managing director of its Atlanta office, effective May 1. Walker will report to U.S. CEO Ron Guirguis.   

Prior to joining MSLGROUP, Walker served as vice president of global marketing communications for Syniverse, a mobile solutions provider with presence in nearly 200 countries. Before joining Syniverse in 2010, he led Edelman South's Corporate Practice as well as the agency's Global Telecommunications Practice.

"John Walker is a tremendous leader whose ability to integrate brand marketing, corporate communications and digital on the global stage is representative of how MSL views the future of our industry. He is the ideal person to work with our terrific team in Atlanta to accelerate the strong growth we have experienced in the South," Guirguis said.

"I'm excited to return to the agency side of the industry with MSL, an organization really focused on delivering measurable business impact through an integrated approach to influence," Walker said. "There is also a fantastic foundation to build upon in Atlanta – a great client roster, one of the best digital teams in the industry and a top-notch senior leadership team that will enable me to hit the ground running."

At Syniverse, Walker's purview included demand generation, branding, digital marketing, event management as well as internal and external communications. In 2014, he was appointed to lead the company's global marketing efforts, targeting multinational enterprises as acting CMO of the enterprise solutions business.

Walker is a former PRWeek "30 under 30" honoree.  He holds a Master's of Business Administration in international marketing from Rollins College and a Bachelor's of Professional Accountancy from Mississippi State University.