CHICAGO — Walker Sands president Mike Santoro has been promoted to CEO of the B2B agency, assuming a role founder Ken Gaebler has held for the last 20 years.

Santoro has been with Walker Sands for 14 years, the last 12 of which as president. Gaebler will continue to serve as a member of the Walker Sands board.

During his tenure, Santoro has overseen the firm's growth from a 20-person boutique agency to a 130-person integrated marketing operation. The agency has offices in Chicago, San Francisco and Seattle.

He also serves on the PR Council board and as the global summit chair for PROI Worldwide. In 2011, Santoro co-founded the Little Giraffe Foundation to fund neonatal research and support patients and parents of the NICU.

Santoro’s executive leadership team includes Dave Parro, executive VP of operations; Andrew Cross, executive VP of services; Allison Ward, senior of talent; and Mark Miller, senior VP of finance.

Walker Sands grew revenue by 7.1% in 2020, according to the firm. Key clients include Ensono, Hub Group and Globant.