Hugh Braithwaite, founder and CEO of Braithwaite Communications, storyteller, mentor, and teacher, has died at 63
He believed the compelling stories his clients could share would attract business and create connections with customers. “Public relations is now more relevant than ever,” he said in 2020.
Hugh Braithwaite, 63, of Radnor, founder and chief executive officer of Braithwaite Communications, lifelong storyteller, mentor, and teacher, died Wednesday, Feb. 28, at his workplace in Philadelphia. The cause of his death has not been determined.
A creative and engaging expert in crisis communications, public relations, marketing, and branding, Mr. Braithwaite worked for more than four decades with countless companies, institutions, associations, and individuals as they sought to, in his words, “elevate the voice, visibility and values” of their organizations. He founded Braithwaite Communications in 1996, and his clients include corporate giants such as Coca-Cola, General Electric, Microsoft, Hasbro, Wawa, and Merck.
He called himself his firm’s “chief storyteller,” preached honesty, consistency, and timeliness in public discourse, and told The Inquirer in 2015: “Some research shows reputation accounts for 40% to 50% of a brand’s net value.” Earlier, he was a founding vice president at the Tierney Group, account supervisor for Porter Novelli public relations in New York, and senior account executive for Cohn and Wolfe communications in New York.
He was also a mentor to hundreds of colleagues and students, and taught crisis communications, public relations, and corporate storytelling for years at St. Joseph’s University and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. “Marketing is not a strategy that you cook up,” he said on his LinkedIn profile. “It’s a planned relationship with real people. … The generous act of helping your audiences solve their most pressing needs with insights, information, authority, and empathy. It’s the empathy that’s key.”
He was quoted often in The Inquirer, Daily News, Philadelphia Business Journal, and other publications, and served as a spokesman for the Devereux Foundation, National Association of Catholic School Teachers, and other groups. “Hugh was a creative genius whose brilliance and empathy has been interwoven into the fabric of almost every company in Philadelphia,” said Jason Rocker, president of Braithwaite Communications.
In 2020, Mr. Braithwaite said his penchant for storytelling came from growing up with four siblings in Bala Cynwyd. “In my family you had to earn your spot to tell your story,” he said in an online interview with Everything PR News. “If your story wasn’t funny, surprising, compelling, or well timed, you would lose the floor and their attention.”
Born Oct. 24, 1960, in Darby, Hugh Daley Braithwaite was a sprinter on the track team and graduated from Archbishop John Carroll High School in 1979. He studied English and was class president at Dickinson College, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1983, and worked at first in sales and marketing for Hershey Co.
He met Carolyn Chapin at a fundraiser, and she said: “I thought he was the most interesting person I’d ever met.” They married in 1995, and had daughter Andie and sons Owen and Will.
Mr. Braithwaite enjoyed surfing, sailing, running, and sunrise on the beach. He read constantly, dabbled in painting, and played guitar, piano, and Hacky Sack.
He was curious and compassionate. “He took pride in everyone else’s success,” his daughter said. “He got so excited for others.” His son Will said: “He was a bright light and the life of every party. He learned your love language and became fluent in it.”
Mr. Braithwaite listened to Bruce Springsteen and mastered Elton John’s “Rocket Man” on the piano. He trained as a career counselor in college and was always on the lookout for ways to help young people stay grounded and find success. He told Everything PR News in 2020: “When lives are disrupted in any way, good communications becomes a primary focus.”
He and his family supported Project HOME, the Radnor Educational Foundation, and other benevolent organizations. His autobiography, if he wrote one, he said, would be called My Family — the Ultimate Agency. “He made you feel like his teammate,” said his son Owen.
In online tributes, friends said he was “funny,” “magical,” and “larger than life.” A college friend said: “Everyone wanted to be with Hugh.”
His wife said: “He was a student of the world. When you were with him, it was like you were the only person in the room who mattered, and he was thrilled to be with you.”
In addition to his wife and children, Mr. Braithwaite is survived by his father, John, two sisters, two brothers, and other relatives.
Visitation with the family is to be from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, March 9, at Daylesford Abbey, 220 S. Valley Rd., Paoli, Pa. 19301. A service is to follow.
Donations in his name may be made to Heights Philadelphia, Director of Finance and Administration, 123 S. Broad St., Suite 850, Philadelphia, Pa. 19109.