David Preston

About David Preston

David Preston brings nearly 25 years of experience developing, leading and elevating brand, marketing and strategy capabilities at some of the most recognizable organizations in the country. His experience has been highlighted by leadership roles responsible for managing globally recognized brands and building new capabilities at the companies he has served.Currently, at Wellstar Health System, David serves as Senior Vice President of Brand & Communications, where he developed the strategic design for the marketing function, building a 70+ person team from scratch and overseeing an annual spend of $30MM. In this role, he has led the development of Wellstar’s marketplace positioning, new brand identity, award-winning marketing campaigns, and digital consumer experience strategies; positioning the health system to succeed now – in the midst of the pandemic – and in the future. David led the advancement of Wellstar’s strategic patient experience and communications capabilities, while ensuring active Executive Leadership and Board engagement. At the request of Wellstar’s CEO, David led an enterprise-wide effort to transform and embed the company’s new Mission, Vision and Values, shared by the Wellstar Team Members.Prior to Wellstar, David spent 21 years with the Coca-Cola Company in various brand, marketing and strategic leadership positions, including leading the Coca-Cola Trademark Brand Team and serving as the Vice President of Innovation. In these roles, he created and launched new products and packages, developed a long-term Marketplace Assessment and Innovation Roadmap, and increased revenue realization from the Innovation Pipeline from $96MM to $153MM in a one fiscal year. David earned his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from the University of Georgia and his MBA from Kennesaw State University. David lives in Atlanta with his wife Sarah and three children Jack, Lucy and Rowan.

Experience

1. Chief Marketing Officer

   Wellstar Health System

   Oct 2018 — Present · Marrietta, GA, US

   Leads all Brand & Communications strategy and initiatives for one of Georgia’s largest health systems, serving more than 6 million patients per year, employing and boasting $4.5B in revenue.• Accountable for Market Analytics and Insights, Brand Strategy and Management, Marketing and Patient Acquisition, Patient and Consumer Experience, Digital Strategy, Internal, External and Physician Communications, Events and Sponsorships, and Community Engagement• Built a 75-person organization from scratch, developing robust new capabilities in marketing insights and analytics, digital consumer experience and strategic patient acquisition• Re-launched the Wellstar Brand, including an all-new branding system and award- winning, patient-centered advertising campaign (PeopleCare)• Integrated Communications capability to engage internal and external stakeholders more strategically• Leads strategy for and oversees efforts in patient and consumer experience efforts to deliver world-class care and experiences for millions of patients and families per year• Leads Strategic Community Engagement efforts with high-profile donors, frontline team members, advocacy groups and more to convene decision makers, secure additional resources for the system and create meaningful change in the neighborhoods we serve• Reports to COO with direct line of communication to CEO

Education

• Kennesaw State University - Michael J. Coles College of Business

  Master of Business Administration - MBA

• The University of Georgia

  BBA, Bachelor of Business Administration