Meet Bridget Ryan

As the Policy and Government lead at GreenSync, Bridget Ryan brings nearly 20 years of experience in energy regulation and policy in Australia.

Bridget’s inherently collaborative attitude means she often plays an important role as the “translator” between tech, energy and policy. Striving for shared understanding, Bridget helps GreenSync stakeholders to deeply understand GreenSync – what we are doing and how it helps the current state of play. Likewise, she decodes policy and helps the GreenSync team to understand the context and the challenges on the horizon.

Day-to-day Bridget engages with industry associations, key government stakeholders, regulatory bodies and market agencies to collaborate on initiatives on decentralised energy, distributed energy and future market design.

Before joining the GreenSync team at our Melbourne headquarters, Bridget has a rich history across industry. Over the years, Bridget has worked with the likes of; Clean Energy Council, Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), Department of Environment and Primary Industries, Pacific Hydro, Victorian Employer’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Energy Supply Association of Australia (ESAA).

Bridget is deeply passionate about renewable energy.

“Fundamentally I see renewable energy and ways to integrate this energy into the grid as being vital in how we respond and manage our economies in the context of climate change.”

We sat down with Bridget to discuss her daily must reads, beef bourguignon, cycling in Spain and George Michael.

You need to get a complex concept across… Do you whiteboard or white paper?

A classic comms answer… It depends, if it is a meeting with less than ten people, I would probably whiteboard and explain it. However, if the subject is complex and broader position for the industry then I would produce a white paper.

What’s one website you can’t go a day without checking?

All the energy industry classics, but predominantly RenewEconomy run by Giles Parkinson but because I am a political junkie, I also follow The Guardian, Crikey and The Energy Daily.

What would be an amazing holiday you have been on?

It was a cycling tour over eight days from north of Madrid, through to Segovia and finished off in this tiny Medieval town called Sepulveda which was established in the 7th century. It was amazing because it was a mixture of physical activity, beautiful scenery and just great food. 

Speaking of food, do you cook? If so, what is your specialty?

I do cook and love cooking for the seasons. My specialty in summer (it was a balmy 37 degrees at the time of interview) is nicoise salad, but I make tasty beef bourguignon and oden soup in winter.

Sudoku or crossword?

Crossword.

What’s something you would like to try but haven’t gotten around to?

Probably several things, sailing is one. My partner is a keen sailor and it’s something  I would like to learn more about. I have tried before, but I still need more practice and maybe training, on making Chinese dumplings. It doesn’t quite make the “cooking speciality shortlist” just yet… From a work improvement perspective I am learning more about project financials.

Who inspires you?

Two people come to mind and they inspire me for different reasons. Susan Alberti, she worked with the Bulldogs for a long time, is a philanthropist, and has had to deal with personal tragedies which also drive lots of her charitable work. She is connected to the community in really meaningful ways. Thinking back a bit further, George Michael was a bit of an inspiration for me early on; he was truly himself despite society taking a long time to change. The songs and videos that he made always made you think about the messages.

What is your favourite game or sport to watch?

My favourite sport to watch is women’s tennis. I find the way they play is really interesting and the way they have to adapt their game. Watching people try a certain strategy and then be able to kind of turn around and change it. The fact that they have the breaks in tennis gives people the opportunity to reset. I like watching this because it demonstrates human capacity. If you are stuck in a situation that is not working, you can’t really get out of it until you break and have time to think. I like the human psychology and connection side of it… not just big hits.