Willy Walker

Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Willy Walker

Chairman & Chief Executive Officer


Willy Walker

Willy Walker is chairman and CEO of Walker & Dunlop. Under his leadership, Walker & Dunlop has grown from a small, family-owned business to become one of the largest commercial real estate finance and advisory firms in the United States and internationally. Walker & Dunlop is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and in its first ten years as a public company, its shares have appreciated more than 800%. The firm was also #17 on Fortune’s 2017 list of “Fastest Growing Public Companies” and has been named a Best Workplace for eight of the last eleven years by the Great Place to Work® Institute. Mr. Walker received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2011, was named “Financier of the Year” in 2017 and 2020 by Commercial Property Executive and was selected as a Most Admired CEO by the Denver Business Journal in 2024.

Mr. Walker received his master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University and his bachelor’s degree from St. Lawrence University. Mr. Walker serves on the board of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation and on the Harvard Business School Board of Deans Advisors. He formerly served on the boards of St. Albans School, the Mortgage Bankers Association, and Children's National Medical Center.

Mr. Walker is also a member of the Real Estate Roundtable. He is an avid runner, skier, and cyclist, and has run the Boston Marathon in 2:36.

Willy Walker is chairman and CEO of Walker & Dunlop. Under his leadership, Walker & Dunlop has grown from a small, family-owned business to become one of the largest commercial real estate finance and advisory firms in the United States and internationally. Walker & Dunlop is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, and in its first ten years as a public company, its shares have appreciated more than 800%. The firm was also #17 on Fortune’s 2017 list of “Fastest Growing Public Companies” and has been named a Best Workplace for eight of the last eleven years by the Great Place to Work® Institute. Mr. Walker received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2011, was named “Financier of the Year” in 2017 and 2020 by Commercial Property Executive and was selected as a Most Admired CEO by the Denver Business Journal in 2024.

Mr. Walker received his master’s degree in business administration from Harvard University and his bachelor’s degree from St. Lawrence University. Mr. Walker serves on the board of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation and on the Harvard Business School Board of Deans Advisors. He formerly served on the boards of St. Albans School, the Mortgage Bankers Association, and Children's National Medical Center.

Mr. Walker is also a member of the Real Estate Roundtable. He is an avid runner, skier, and cyclist, and has run the Boston Marathon in 2:36.

Willy Walker in the news

ConnectCRE

Walker & Dunlop

Walker Webcast: IBM’s Ginni Rometty Highlights Career and “Skills-First” Philosophy

September 20, 2023

ConnectCRE

Walker & Dunlop

Walker Webcast: David Yarrow Takes Us Behind the Photographer’s Lens

September 13, 2023

Walker & Dunlop

Walker & Dunlop #1 Multifamily GSE Lender in 2022

January 30, 2023

Walker & Dunlop

Return-to-Office Done Right: Walker & Dunlop Unveils New Amenity-Rich HQ

January 24, 2022

Walker & Dunlop

Walker & Dunlop Completes Acquisition of Zelman & Associates

July 13, 2021

Walker & Dunlop

Walker & Dunlop Hires Former FHA Commissioner to Lead HUD Loan Originations

March 1, 2021

Deals Closed

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