In-House Excellence Awards
Grand Jury

PAT PETSCHEL

Vice President, Global Creative
and Digital Marketing
Stanley Black & Decker

BIO

Pat is a growth-oriented executive with experience building brands and organizations. Pat has an extensive marketing background with the ability to wear many hats from P/L management, brand management, business management, creative, digital marketing, professional services and consulting management as well as designing and leading cutting-edge, brand-building campaigns. 

Currently, Pat leads Tools & Outdoor Marketing for Stanley Black+Decker, focused on driving content, creative and communications across the entire sales funnel. Additionally, leading a full-scale digital transformation of our customer experience across all audiences and our entire digital ecosystem. Driving global growth, marketing capabilities and campaigns for some amazing brands, including: DEWALT, STANLEY, CRAFTSMAN, Black+Decker, Irwin, Cub Cadet and others. 

He is passionate about growth, creative solutions to complex problems and making a difference every day. Outside of the office Pat can be found spending time with his wife and kids, coaching youth athletics and volunteering at his children’s school. A former college football player enjoying a second “athletic” career as a runner. 

Q&A with Pat Petschel

Provide one word that defines "In-House Excellence" in 2026.

Ambition 

What is one trend in creative operations or in-housing you are watching most closely?

How much of the “last mile” can truly be automated by AI.

In one sentence—what is the single most important element that moves an entry from "Good" to "Grand Prix”? 

Actual business-changing results. 

What is the #1 mistake teams should avoid when telling their campaign’s "story" in a submission? 

Write for impact. Establish the “why” and pay it off. Quickly! 

Why is it critical for in-house agencies to have their own dedicated stage for recognition? 

Internal agencies need to operate like actual agencies. They need to pitch. They need to story tell. They need to show up with an internal swagger. In-house agencies need to compete every single day, and that should be recognized! 

How do you balance creative ambition with commercial accountability when assessing great brand work? 

By looking at the results. Creative ambition on its own does not work if there isn’t commercial pull through! 

How do you evaluate the role of data, AI, and marketing technology in creating meaningful brand impact? 

I am looking for actual value versus parlor tricks that say some version of “AI was employed in the creation of this." 

What lessons from your own leadership journey most influence how you assess excellence? 

Being able to understand the risks that were taken internally to produce the work or launch the campaign. There are always a lot of people that have to say yes, that tension can show up in the work. 

Get to know the 2026 In-House Excellence Grand Jurors.