David Mullen
Winston-Salem,NC
Summary
I am an executive marketing leader with 23 years of experience guiding more than 100 B2C and B2B global and U.S. brands to drive transformation, achieve ambitious growth, and deliver measurable results. My core strengths include innovation development and commercialization, crafting meaningfully differentiated and distinctive brands and brand systems, omni-channel marketing, and integrated creative advertising campaigns that resonate with diverse consumer groups, drive action, and build loyalty. I specialize in building and leading teams to deliver transformative strategies grounded in deep consumer insights that accomplish business objectives through inspiration, collaboration, mentorship, and doing the work alongside them.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
Work History
Founder
Cardinal Strategy
03.2025 - Current
- Founded Cardinal Strategy after exiting The Variable in late 2024 upon completing a three-year earn out period post closing a private equity investment in 2021.
- Consult with executive teams and founders to create business growth through meaningfully different products, brands, and marketing.
- Focused on helping companies achieve three outcomes: 1) Accelerating growth while increasing pricing power; 2) Fueling sustainable, long-term growth by consistently developing differentiated brands, products, and services; and 3) Maximizing marketing’s business impact through accelerated decision making and leveled-up teams.
- Develop strategic business and marketing plans to drive growth and enhance market positioning.
- Early Highlights: Helped a Fortune 500 global brand develop its innovation strategy for its aggressive 5x category growth rate goals, a key pillar in it being successfully acquired by the global category leader less than a year later.
Board of Directors: Wake Forest Athletics Deacon Club
Wake Forest University
08.2023 - Current
- Active board member, partnering with the athletics staff to help achieve departmental long-term goals, including creating a world-class student athlete experience and the best fan experience in North Carolina.
- Active member of the Charlotte sub-committee tasked with developing the strategic plan for amplifying Wake Forest fan engagement, experiences and donor support in the Charlotte market.
Board of Directors
Greater Winston-Salem
01.2023 - 01.2025
- Engaged board member of GWSI, which spearheads the region’s work for business growth through economic development, policy advocacy, talent recruitment and retention.
- Named the 2024 National Chamber of the Year by the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, joining past winning cities like Los Angeles, Dallas, and Orlando.
Chief Executive Officer & Partner
The Variable
01.2013 - 10.2024
- Led the vision-setting, strategic planning, and executional accountability of The Variable’s business plans with the company’s executive leadership team.
- Shepherded The Variable to some of the most prestigious and hard-to-achieve awards in the industry, including being a 5-time AdAge Small Agency of the Year winner and a 3-time FastCompany Best Workplaces for Innovators winner.
- Provided hands-on, strategic counsel to C-suite and senior marketing leaders across large number of B2C and B2B brands, solving complex challenges in innovation, branding, marketing, and advertising while delivery business-driving results.
- Partnered with clients across a wide spectrum of industries, including: CPG (P&G, Nestlé, Merck, Duke Health, AID); Automotive (Tesla, NAPA Auto Parts); Retail (Lowes Foods) and Consumer Durables (Electrolux, Frigidaire, Charbroil, Oklahoma Joe’s) to craft innovative, customer-focused marketing strategies that aligned with business objectives.
- Hired, led, inspired, and empowered internal cross-functional teams to deliver measurable growth for clients, with direct oversight for the agency’s Business Consulting, Brand Strategy, Account Management, Media Planning and Buying, and Project Management teams, in addition to the CFO and CMO as direct reports.
- Directed more than 50 significant brand transformation initiatives for companies ranging in size from $30 million to $10 billion in annual revenue, focusing on brand strategy, positioning, and identity development to drive long-term growth.
- Spearheaded multi-year, strategic roadmaps with clients to drive ambitious growth through reshaped customer experiences, and internal branding and external brand rollouts, including widely recognized successes like Lowes Foods’ community-centric transformation and Charbroil’s market repositioning, internal re-organization, and new innovation incubator.
- Key catalyst in helping the agency grow from $0 to over $34 million in annual revenue.
- Successfully led The Variable to market and through a majority investment deal in 2021, collaborating with investment bankers to secure a private equity partnership that positioned the agency for its next phase of growth.
- Exited the Variable in October 2024 after completing a three-year earn out agreement, transitioning the agency to established internal leaders for its next chapter.
Co-founder & Partner
100Watt
01.2017 - 08.2024
- 100Watt was an integrated commercialization platform dedicated to bringing new ideas to life focused at the intersection of brand and business.
- Helped entrepreneurial companies and founders leverage start-up principles to accelerate innovation, leading a hands-on approach to consumer insight, idea prototyping and testing, refinement, and launching minimum viable products in exchange for equity stakes in the newly created innovations.
- Also created owned IP through self-created new products, services, and platforms.
- Commercialized and launched eight independent companies that raised initial outside capital totaling more than $10 million, including Sunshine Beverages and Kabook! personalized children’s books, which was named a People magazine Top 10 Best Gifts for Kids in its first year.
- Leveraged expertise and experience from 100Watt’s work to bolster The Variable’s innovation talent, capabilities, and offerings for the agency’s clients.
Vice President, Account Director
MullenLowe
04.2006 - 01.2013
- Led integrated campaigns for BASF’s U.S. Crop Protection division, the agency’s then second largest client, including responsibilities for annual marketing plans and budget allocations, brand strategy, brand identity development, product portfolio communications strategy new product positioning, new product launches, creative campaigns, production, and paid, owned, and earned media.
- Helped BASF gain category leadership positions for three premier product launches, all of which successfully beat company sales goals for each of their first two years, driving division sales growth 30% between 2009 and 2013 with a 9.08% CAGR.
- Developed B2B public relations initiatives and consumer focused communications planning and execution for EMBARQ, then the largest U.S. telephone provider before being acquired by CenturyLink.
- Led national public relations for Sealy, then one of the world’s largest bedding manufacturers, transforming it into a consumer media magnet, generating news features with The Today Show, Good Morning America, and The Wall Street Journal.
Account Executive
Trone Brand Energy
10.2004 - 04.2006
- Supported key clients through annual PR planning and execution.
- Led national and regional media relations across key clients and key campaigns.
- Clients included Healthtex children’s clothing brand, financial brand The Freedom Point, and Jacobsen mowers.
PR Specialist
Epley Associates
12.2003 - 10.2004
- Supported key clients through annual PR planning and execution.
- Led national and regional media relations across key clients and key campaigns.
- Clients included Goody’s Headache Powders and Victory Junction Gang Camp.
Account Executive
Cushman/Amberg
03.2002 - 08.2003
- Supported key clients through annual PR planning and execution.
- Led national and regional media relations across key clients and key campaigns.
- Clients included The Home Depot, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, and InterCall.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Journalism and Mass Communications, Minor in Sociology
University of South Carolina
Columbia12-2001
Skills
- Extensive leadership experience
- Goal setting
- Strategic planning
- Growth mindset
- Business development
- Marketing
- Organizational structuring
- Team engagement
- Entrepreneurial and innovative
Accomplishments
- Advertising Age | Small Agency of the Year - The Variable (2025, 2023, 2018, 2017, 2015)
- Advertising Age | Best Places to Work - The Variable (2023)
- FastCompany | Best Workplaces for Innovators - The Variable (2022, 2021, 2020)
- 5-Time Business North Carolina Power List - 100 Most Influential Business Leaders (2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020)
- Triad Business Journal | Power Players (2021, 2020, 2019)
- Triad Business Journal | 40 Under 40 (2016)
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
- Wake Forest University, Adjunct Professor of Marketing Communications - COM370 Consumer Insights for Campaign Strategy (Jan. 2026 - Present)
- Wake Forest University, Guest Lecturer for Executive MBA Program (Ongoing) - Driving Business Growth and Increasing Pricing Power through Brand Differentiation
Timeline
Founder
Cardinal Strategy
03.2025 - Current
Board of Directors: Wake Forest Athletics Deacon Club
Wake Forest University
08.2023 - Current
Board of Directors
Greater Winston-Salem
01.2023 - 01.2025
Co-founder & Partner
100Watt
01.2017 - 08.2024
Chief Executive Officer & Partner
The Variable
01.2013 - 10.2024
Vice President, Account Director
MullenLowe
04.2006 - 01.2013
Account Executive
Trone Brand Energy
10.2004 - 04.2006
PR Specialist
Epley Associates
12.2003 - 10.2004
Account Executive
Cushman/Amberg
03.2002 - 08.2003
Bachelor of Arts - Journalism and Mass Communications, Minor in Sociology
University of South Carolina