Courtney Lewis, who in July was elevated to CEO of Winston-Salem, NC-based agency The Variable, is quickly putting her stamp on the agency’s leadership team with five new senior hires. 

The 14-year-old agency said the additions amplify a new focus on performance strategies for the firm.  

Lewis was promoted to CEO in July after serving as CMO and Matthew Cook was upped to Chief Creative Officer. Co-founder and previous CCO Joe Parrish transitioned to a senior advisory role and board member. Those moves were part of the agency’s management succession plan.  

The newly announced hires are: Brooke Smith, senior vice president-strategy & growth; Mudi Diejomaoh, vice president-brand strategy; Derek Channell, vice president--group account director; Nick Rogers, vice president-media strategy, and Sarah Anderson, creative director. All are relocating from major metros — including New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. —to the agency’s offices in Winston-Salem. 

“Our expanded leadership blends bold storytelling with precision performance to drive outcomes that matter,” stated Lewis.   

Previously Smith was Chief Strategy Officer at Washington-area workforce assessment firm Prometric, before hanging out her shingle as a marketing consultant in early 2024.  

Diejomaoh was previously a strategic planning executive at Interpublic’s Weber Shandwick.  

Channell was previously client director at the Liquid Agency, San Jose, CA.  

Rogers marks his return to the agency in the media strategy role. In between stints there he was media director at agency Valtech Union in Charlotte, NC.