From co-op and the classroom to global health leadership
Brigitte Nolet reflects on the Arts education, work experiences and adaptability that prepared her to make a difference
For Brigitte Nolet (BA ’98), taking on a new position as Head of Global Access for the Pharmaceuticals Division at Roche feels like a full circle moment. From her early co-op work terms with Health Canada to leadership roles in the pharmaceutical industry, her early interests and experiences are having an increasingly broader impact.
“When I was President & CEO of Roche Canada, my responsibilities included ensuring Canadians had access to our medicines,” says Nolet. “And the scope of my role is now global, which means that I support all of the different countries in which we operate and work alongside country colleagues in ensuring that life-saving therapies are reimbursed - reaching patients who need them, wherever they are.”
It’s a big task these days, she notes, but one her education and career has more than prepared her to tackle.
Finding purpose through co-op and the classroom
As the daughter of a teacher, public service had long been a part of Nolet’s life and influenced her decision to choose her first co-op opportunity with Health Canada’s Family Violence Prevention and Education Unit over an editing position with Harlequin. The decision changed the course of her degree as well as her career path. Her work experience cemented her interest in Social Development Studies, adding it as a major alongside English Rhetoric and Professional Writing and a minor in Women’s Studies. She explored public health and politics in future work terms, applying her education in the workplace and enhancing her coursework with real world experience.
“Every opportunity just kept growing my understanding of community health and community healthcare,” says Nolet. “I think the sociology and social work side of things was really starting to call to me, and the opportunity to work on something that felt really purposeful and meaningful.”
The connections she made through co-op landed her a permanent job with Human Resources Development Canada, but her experience soon caught the attention of recruiters in the pharmaceutical industry.
“Once you work in a minister's office, you learn how laws are passed, and how government policy and legislation is written,” says Nolet. “The pharmaceutical industry is highly regulated, so it was less about industry expertise and more about having a certain skill set that includes understanding how laws and regulations are passed.”
Business skills, not “soft skills”
As Nolet celebrates 20 years working for Roche this fall, her work increasingly draws on the skills she developed during her BA to leverage complex scientific concepts and data into decisions.
“You learn how to think broadly, you learn how to become a systems thinker, and how to aggregate information really quickly and simplify it enough so that somebody can make a decision,” she says. “We take millions of complex data points from our clinical trials and turn them into clear, evidence-based insights, partnering with health authorities and governments so they can make informed decisions about bringing new treatments to their healthcare systems. I learned it in my program, and learned it in every single one of my work terms.”
Data analysis and communication are not the only skills Nolet sees as essential for future leaders. “Being able to inspire, influence and share a vision for the present and the future to help mobilize people is really important,” she adds. “Collaboration and being able to work in teams is really important. I learned that in the latter years of my program, as class sizes got smaller and teamwork became as important as the curriculum.”
The skills come from a lot of hard work and practice, she says. “These are not ‘soft skills’ – they are important business skills. In Arts, you get your foundation in a lot of these things and there's nothing easy or soft about it.”
Stay curious and adaptable
With two daughters making decisions about higher education, Nolet notes that exploring possibilities and being adaptable is essential for today’s students. She advises students not to stress too much about their first decisions about university.
“You're going to blossom and you're going to learn, and both your creativity and your mind are going to open. You might pivot to something else, or add something or change something in your educational career and that's absolutely okay. That’s what university is all about.”
