Former NIRI chair Brad Wilks swaps Sard Verbinnen for MSLGROUP

Brad Wilks, veteran IRO and corporate counselor, has joined MSLGROUP, the ‘flagship strategic communications and engagement’ arm of France-based global communications giant Publicis Groupe.

Wilks was named managing director of MSLGROUP’s North America Midwest operations, responsible for offices in Chicago and Detroit, effective immediately.  

Brad WilksWilks, who served as chairman of NIRI in 2010, is responsible for all aspects of business strategy, performance, growth, client service and talent at both MSL Chicago and MSL Detroit.

He most recently served as managing director and head of the Chicago office of Sard Verbinnen & Co, the strategic corporate and financial communications firm.   

Speaking with IR Magazine, Wilks says he was keen to seize the opportunity to work for part of Publicis’ global integrated communications network, which covers advertising, marketing and communications practices, including Kekst & Co, the crisis and financial communications firm. ‘I’m excited to be serving clients globally,’ Wilks states.

Prior to joining Sard Verbinnen, Wilks was a managing director at Ogilvy Public Relations and a partner at Fleishman-Hillard. He also served for six years as director of investor relations for Ball Corporation.

Wilks succeeds Joel Curran who transferred to the role of managing director of MSL New York in September.

Upcoming events

  • Briefing – Are investors finding your IR content on AI?
    Wednesday, December 17, 2025

    Briefing – Are investors finding your IR content on AI?

    In partnership with WHEN 8.00 am PT / 11.00 am ET / 4.00 pm GMT / 5.00 pm CET DURATION 45 minutes About the event AI is transforming how investors and analysts access company information. Increasingly, earnings reports, disclosures and IR websites are being read first by algorithms and large…

    Online
  • Forum – AI & Technology Europe
    Thursday, March 12, 2026

    Forum – AI & Technology Europe

    About the event Stay ahead. Harness AI. Transform IR. In today’s rapidly evolving financial landscape, AI is transforming how IROs engage with investors, analyze market sentiment and deliver insights. Yet, many IR teams face challenges in understanding and employing these tools effectively. WHEN WHERE America Square Conference Centre, London The…

    London, UK
  • Think Tank – West Coast
    Thursday, March 19, 2026

    Think Tank – West Coast

    Our unique format – Exclusively for in-house IRO’s The IR Impact Think Tank – West Coast will take place on Thursday, March 19, 2026 in Palo Alto and is an  invitation-only event exclusively for senior IR officers. Our think tanks are free to attend and our unique format enables participants to network extensively, and discuss, debate and dissect…

    Palo Alto, US

Explore

Andy White, Freelance WordPress Developer London