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WINSTON-SALEM — Novant Health has hired Vicky L. Free as the new senior vice president and chief marketing officer. Free has more than 25 years of experience in marketing and brand management. She reports to Jesse Cureton, executive vice president and chief consumer officer for Novant Health.

In this role, Free will lead the strategic direction of all Novant Health system marketing activities. She will oversee and implement marketing strategies, including brand, market research, paid media and campaign management, digital engagement, new markets, physician and consumer content marketing, marketing operations, as well as insights and analytics.

“We are thrilled to welcome Vicky Free to spearhead Novant Health’s marketing efforts,” said Cureton. “She brings a strong background in leading successful marketing campaigns for global organizations that will help Novant Health develop insightful and compelling campaigns that demonstrate our commitment to remarkable patient care.”

Free brings a wealth of knowledge in strategic marketing and brand management for national and global organizations. In her most recent position as the senior vice president of global brand strategy, marketing and creative for Disney/ABC International, she designed and executed integrated marketing strategies that increased brand awareness and audience engagement using innovative advertising, social media and digital campaigns.

Prior to working at Disney/ABC International, Free had extensive experience with national media and the food service industry. She served as executive vice president and chief marketing officer for BET Networks, where Free was accountable for all brand strategy and consumer advertising campaign development across the enterprise. Free also had several marketing leadership positions with Time Warner, including Turner Networks, TNT, TBS and TCM. Prior to her work in national media, she worked with McDonald’s Corporation to develop annual marketing campaigns for women and multicultural markets.

Free received a bachelor of arts in mass communications from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, and a master of business administration from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She completed the executive leadership development program at the University of California in Oakland and the executive management program at Harvard Business School in Boston.

Free is excited to return to the Carolinas, as she was born in and many of her family members remain in South Carolina.