Kris Magel

Head of Global Agency Partnerships at FreeWheel

Building global agency partnerships in ad-tech at FreeWheel

OperatorHoboken, New Jersey, United States25+ years in industry

Last updated May 31, 2026 by the ATDb Editorial Team · Connections updated May 31, 2026

Bio

Kris Magel is a media and advertising executive currently serving as Head of Global Agency Partnerships at FreeWheel, where he focuses on strengthening relationships between the ad-tech platform and the agency community. He brings deep agency-side expertise from a distinguished tenure at Initiative (IPG Mediabrands), where he rose to President after serving as Chief Investment Officer, and from earlier senior roles in media investment across IPG Mediabrands. His career spans both the buy side and technology sides of the advertising industry.

Previous Roles

President

Initiative (IPG Mediabrands) (2015-2021)

Chief Investment Officer

Initiative (2012-2015)

Senior roles in media investment

IPG Mediabrands (2000s-2012)

Expertise

Retail Media NetworksAdvertising Product DevelopmentMedia Investment and PlanningFirst-Party Data StrategyMeasurement and AttributionProgrammatic AdvertisingOmnichannel AdvertisingAgency-Advertiser Relations

Education

Bachelor's Degree, University details not publicly confirmed

Notable Achievements

Led Initiative as President, overseeing one of IPG Mediabrands' flagship global media agencies
Joined Walmart Connect to lead advertising product development, contributing to Walmart's emergence as a top-tier retail media network
Helped build measurement and attribution frameworks at Walmart Connect to demonstrate clear ROI for brand advertisers

Speaking Topics

Retail Media and the Future of AdvertisingMeasurement and Attribution in Retail MediaFirst-Party Data and Shopper MarketingThe Evolution of Media Agency and Retailer Relationships

Connections