frances lumpkin webster, C'95
brooklyn, NY
Frances Lumpkin Webster is CEO of Walrus, a New York City-based advertising and media agency she co-founded with her husband Deacon Webster in 2005. The independent firm has helped drive business for the likes of Amazon, AMC, Bloomberg, Condé Nast, Emergen-C (Pfizer), General Mills, HBO, PayPal, Rémy Cointreau, and Staples and has been recognized by industry awards such as Ad Age Small Agency of the Year, Cannes Lions, Effies, One Show, D&AD, and Communication Arts. In 2018, Walrus made the Inc. 5000 list of America’s fastest- growing private companies.
As an active proponent of the industry, Webster is a member of the 4A’s (American Association of Advertising Agencies) Eastern Region board. She has presented at Advertising Week, appeared on the Ad Age Ad Lib podcast, and has been featured in publications including Huffington Post, Adweek, Campaign US, Business Insider, The Drum, and Ad Age. An area of focus for Webster is building a pipeline of qualified female leaders and executives through mentorship, business training, and networking.
Webster was a history major at Sewanee and currently sits on the advisory board for the Babson Center of Global Commerce at Sewanee. Walrus provides both Carey Fellow and summer internships to Sewanee students. In recognition of Webster’s contribution to the Stronger Truer Sewanee campaign, the University has created the Webster Cornerstone Internship Fund ensuring Sewanee students continued access to invaluable summer internships and opportunities. She says that she remembers how tough the transition from college to “the real world” was and how completely clueless one can be (or at least she was). Webster also remembers those kind souls who agreed to the informational interview and the internships and what a difference they made.
Webster lives in Brooklyn, where she and Deacon are raising two incredible children. She is going to attempt to run the 2018 NYC marathon is just over a week.
