Hugh Kennedy

EVP, Planning| Novelist, Dog-lover & Existentialist

I’m in charge of Planning — the art and science of uncovering transformative insights that can make or break a brand. As a Partner in the agency, I head up major brand and thought leadership initiatives. For example, recently I’ve helped to pioneer marketing communities like The Enterprisers Project for Red Hat.

I’m also in charge of our healthcare practice, and maintain a 45-person global panel of life scientists from pharma, biotech, and academia, which proves invaluable in vetting strategy and creative for our life science clients.

When I joined PJA in 1992, we were less than a dozen people. I’ve stayed because I love the kind of people we hire, and I love the fact that my clients in technology and life sciences are often working at the edge of what is possible.

In my spare time I’ve published two novels with Doubleday, adopted two children, and run a monthly fiction reading group at the Boston Athenaeum. I also like to squeeze in a few triathlons every summer.