Most recently, Mr. Pachner was Vice President and Creative Director at HZDG, a fully integrated DC-based advertising juggernaut. He introduced entirely new design philosophies and tools, serving as the strategic, creative, and interactive lead on several high-profile brand engagements. He rewrote and redesigned all pitch, discovery, development, and presentation processes, reduced the size of project teams, and added operational efficiencies throughout the creative process. Mr. Pachner reimagined and reinvigorated brand and digital platforms for clients including Seventh Generation, Rockefeller Center, Federal Realty Investment Trust, and the National Science Foundation (NSF), among others.

Prior to HZDG, Mr. Pachner was Creative Director and a partner at CHIEF, which he helped grow from a startup to one of Washington, D.C.’s most respected brand agencies. There his design and digital experience informed projects for Hampton Inn & Suites and the Associated Press, as well as such clients as Clark Construction, Safe Water Network, and Militello Capital. Mr. Pachner was also Director of Interaction Design for Rock Creek Strategic Marketing, CHIEF’s predecessor firm, where he designed large-scale, complex visual interfaces and oversaw the firm’s digital and user experience work.

Mr. Pachner came early to the digital space. He was Director of Web Development at Hermann Advertising Design/Communications where he planned, designed, and developed websites for a broad range of industries, including several of the nation’s leading law firms. Prior to that, he was Senior Graphic Designer at ICMA where he implemented drastic new cost-efficiencies and quality controls.