The Variable Restructures Executive Leadership Team
Independent advertising agency The Variable is restructuring its executive leadership as it looks to evolve the agency model and transform its client-services offering to better align with the needs of modern-day marketers. Jodi Heelan, who joined the agency in 2014 and took on the CFO role in 2022, has been named president and partner, while David Mullen, who joined The Variable in 2013 and became CEO nine years later, will remain partner and is shifting to chief client officer, a newly created role.
Both Jodi and David as equity partners will continue to lead the 65-person agency alongside equity partner and founder/chief creative officer Joe Parrish and senior vice president Courtney Lewis. Lewis held the role of head of growth for The Variable prior to being promoted to SVP earlier this year.
As president, Jodi will work in close partnership with Lewis to grow the agency’s offerings, talent, client base and strategic partnerships, like its relationship with global media agency Power Digital, with whom they’ve pitched and won their last four clients. Her mission includes further innovating The Variable’s model creatively and financially to drive value for modern brands; redefining the company’s corporate strategic positioning and go-to-market strategy, and ensuring agency operations evolve to support both.
“There's immense opportunity right now to push the boundaries of the agency model and show up differently for our clients in ways that drive far more value,” said Jodi. “Creativity will always be a competitive advantage in business, and the talent we have within our walls and industry, combined with the technology at our fingertips, can create immense impact. My focus will be on putting these together in new and different ways to help clients solve business problems.”
As chief client officer, David will work hand-in-hand with Joe to redefine the customer experience for The Variable’s current and future clients. Specifically, David will fuel organic growth by reimagining how the agency uses new formats and technology with clients to build deeper relationships, craft more personalised ways of working, and create the most impactful, business-driving results together. David will also oversee the agency’s business consulting, and account and project management teams, while Joe will continue to oversee the agency’s creative team and output. The Variable’s current global roster includes P&G, Electrolux/Frigidaire, NAPA Auto Parts, BASF, Whole Earth Brands, Char-Broil, and Novo.
“The increasing complexity and responsibilities clients face every day requires them to quickly evolve if they want any chance at success and agencies can’t continue to operate in the same antiquated ways if they want any chance at successful, long-term partnerships with their clients,” said David. “I’m stepping into this new role to focus solely on architecting new ways to partner with our clients. To wonder how customer-centric brands like Starbucks, Target and Walgreens would act if they were an agency, and to experiment and implement new approaches that drive both our clients’ business growth and ridiculous satisfaction with the experience of working with The Variable.”
Both Jodi and David have been a crucial part of The Variable’s success and evolution. Jodi started in account services over 10 years ago, then moved on to establish and lead the shop’s first business-development department before being promoted to CFO. She quickly modernised the role, extending her impact beyond financial stewardship through a people-first mentality and innovative approach to growth. In addition to shifting the agency to a value-based pricing model, which doubled the revenue and more than doubled its profitability over four years, Jodi focused on The Variable’s internal people experience, launching the agency’s peer-to-peer bonus and profit-sharing programs.
David got his start at The Variable as director of account management, eventually taking on equity partnership and the president role in 2017 before being named CEO in 2022. Throughout his tenure in executive leadership, David guided The Variable through significant YOY client and employee growth, four AdAge Small Agency of the Year awards, and three consecutive years named to Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators list. David helped negotiate an outside investment from Svoboda Capital Partners alongside Joe in 2021, established the agency’s employee-led DE&I board and helped foster the acquisition of AI company DataCrunch. David currently serves on The Variable’s board of directors, a position he will continue to hold.
“The Variable is changing because our industry is about to change. AI will leave none of us unaffected. And simply embracing its efficiency isn’t enough. We’ve learned that, despite the power of machines, the difference maker is, and will always be, the human in the loop,” said Joe. “So we’re doubling down on the things that make us human. David is committed to ensuring our humanity is our greatest differentiator, while Jodi is adapting our model to the evolving demands of clients in an industry that will not look the same in a few years' time.”
