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A portrait of John Brace has been unveiled in the Beaconsfield boardroom of Harwood Hutton, the accountancy firm he steered for the best part of two decades.
John’s wife Patricia and daughter Jackie joined Harwood Hutton directors past and present for the unveiling, which took place just over a year after his passing at the age of 77. Also there to mark the occasion were a further 40 or so of John’s former colleagues.
HH director Adam Stronach described John as a “great visionary who could see things happening on the horizon before any of us”.
Adam remarked how John’s razor sharp dress sense, with his trademark colourful socks and ties, could sometimes be matched by the sharpness of his tongue. “John could be a bit of a taskmaster but his door was always open and you could always rely on him to provide a sensible second view on a matter. He was a massive influence on all of us.”
Patricia said Harwood Hutton was as much part of John’s life as were his family and friends. “I understood and accepted this from day one, because I was a client once and that is how I met John. I quickly realised there were three entities in our marriage: Me, John and Harwood Hutton!”
Of John’s management style, Patricia said he could be tough if colleagues failed to meet the high standards he set. “But John set those standards and expectations because he knew what you were capable of and what you could achieve. He was proud of everybody who worked at Harwood Hutton because he knew you were the very best.”
Among the many tributes that poured in after he died, one came from a client who described John as a man of steely determination and sheer grit with a keen sense of justice.
“That is true,” said Patricia, “but he was also compassionate, and I loved the tribute that came from a former colleague who said John was kind first and a businessman second.”
Patricia revealed that a history of Harwood Hutton had been commissioned in readiness for the firm’s 65th anniversary in 2022 – a history in which John Brace, his winning personality and many achievements, will feature prominently.
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