• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, June 6, 2022

Winston-Salem, NC-based ad agency The Variable has promoted David Mullen to chief executive officer and Jodi Heelan to chief financial officer. Both positions are new at the agency. 

Mullen previously served as president of The Variable, a role he was promoted to in 2017. Heelan moves into the role of CFO having previously served as the agency’s director of business development and operations for the previous four years. 

Since joining the agency in 2013, Mullen is credited with playing a key role in positioning the firm as a combination ad agency and innovation consultancy that has drawn clients like P&G, Nestlé, NAPA Auto Parts, Electrolux, Char-Broil, BASF and Frigidaire, among others.  

Heelan also joined The Variable in 2013. In her most recent role as director of business development and operations, she led the agency’s new business, finance, operations and HR teams. 

Last year Heelen drove an effort to develop a value-based pricing model for the agency, which ultimately eliminated the use of time sheets at The Variable. The agency has evolved that model into an SaaS platform available to all agencies.