Lauren Root – Features Editor 

For this issue of our alumni series, I had the privilege of speaking with Jane Brydges, class of 1995. Throughout our conversation, I was given an insight into the tremendous success Jane has found since leaving Bishop’s, while also discussing her love of this school that runs so deep that it led her to become the Chair of the Alumni Foundation.  

Photo courtesy of Jane Brydges

As an Ottawa native, Jane found her way to Bishop’s for the fall of 1991, coming in sight unseen. While in high school, Jane had a much older family friend who was a Bishop’s alumnus, and suggested that she should apply. After a quick (but life-changing) trip to her guidance counselor’s office, Jane picked up a Bishop’s University brochure and applied. 

When Jane arrived on campus, she lived in Norton Hall, with a beautiful view of the quad. She was also a Political Studies major while playing Polar Bear hockey. Growing up, Jane played both hockey and ringette, and after arriving at Bishop’s, she wanted to get involved in the community and stay active, so she joined the hockey team. 

After graduating in 1995, Jane returned to Ottawa, where she worked three jobs, one of which was with Nortel, a telecommunications and data networking equipment manufacturer. Jane worked with Nortel for four years before she got the opportunity to go back to school and pursue a master’s degree. She applied to MIT, and in January of 1998, Jane received her acceptance at MIT. While studying at grad school, Jane received a master’s in City Planning (with a focus on environmental technology) and a master’s of science in Technology and Policy. 

While at MIT, Jane wrote a thesis on fuel cells that landed her a job at General Motors in Detroit after graduating in 2000. She worked at their corporate office in the corporate strategy group. While working for GM, Jane was sent to Europe for two years, where she lived in Switzerland. While living in Zurich, Jane’s role was to cut European operating costs by 15%. After being in Zurich for two years, Jane was transferred to Toronto, where she worked for an additional two years. 

In 2006, Jane left GM and began working for a consulting firm where her company had many Fortune 500 clients looking to reduce their operating costs, streamlining business processes and costs. In this role, Jane lived out of a suitcase for five years, constantly traveling to either the US or Europe. After a while, she got sick of traveling and decided to open her own consulting firm back in Ottawa. 

In 2009, Jane landed her first client and officially opened Brydges and Associates, Inc. Since then, she has been focusing on helping companies with operational efficiencies, restructuring and re-designing. She also helps with organizational change management. 

While her job has taken her all over the world, Bishop’s has stayed close to Jane’s heart. She says that living with her roommates during her time at Bishop’s and afterward has created some of the best memories of her life, and that Bishop’s was an insanely amazing experience for her. 

Immediately after graduation, Jane started making donations to Bishop’s, trying to pay it forward to future students, and to give back to Bishop’s for giving her the opportunity of a lifetime. Jane is the first member of her family to attend university, and is eternally grateful that Bishop’s gave her such an amazing experience, and allowed her to grow into the person she has become today. 

To this day, Jane’s best friends are people whom she met on campus, and she continuously states that Bishop’s gave her the confidence and the community to find success after graduation. 

Jane joined the Alumni Foundation and eventually became the Chair of the Foundation to make sure Bishop’s continues to be the place for students to find themselves and to build the community that will guide them through life. 

Thank you, Jane, for all that you’ve done for Bishop’s students. We look forward to welcoming you back to campus whenever you get the chance to visit!