Sherry Brydson

Early life

Sherry Brydson attended the University of Toronto in the 1960s as a political science and economics student. She also contributed to The Varsity, the school’s newspaper. She took part in the 1970 Abortion Caravan, where hundreds of women marched from British Columbia to Parliament Hill in Ottawa in order to protest the country’s restrictive abortion regulations. In fact, Brydson was also one of the 30 women who sat in the House of Commons shackled to their seats in protest.

Moreover, Brydson was one of 30 women who sat in the House of Commons, shackled to their seats in protest.



There isn’t much information available when it comes to Brydon’s personal life. Her marital status, age, and whether she has children are all well-held secrets. What is known is she is one of six members of the Thomson family who have never been listed on a global wealth list. According to data by Bloomberg, she and her four first cousins are the first Canadian women to be named billionaires. However, when approached for interviews, Brydson always declines through a representative.

From Toronto, novelist and journalist Trevor Cole has written about the family, saying: “Most people don’t know she exists. People who read the paper are familiar with the name Thomson and are aware they are wealthy individuals, but they do not know who they are.”

Career

Sherry Brydson is a Canadian businesswoman and the largest shareholder in Woodbridge, an Ontario-based investment corporation that managed the wealth of Toy Thomson’s seven grandchildren. She is a descendant of Roy Thomson’s media empire. Thomson Reuters Corp is the world’s largest financial data provider, and she has 55% ownership of the company.

Previously, Brydson worked as a journalist in Australia after graduation from university and traveled to Thailand, where it’s reported she fell in love with the culture. She loved it so much that she reportedly bought a down-down Toronto hotel in 1979 and restored it to create a women’s networking club. She eventually enlarged the space to add Elmwood, a Thai restaurant, and a spa.

Brydson owns Viking Air in North Saanich, which produces a resurrected edition of the Twin Otter jet for global customers through her Toronto-based family office, Westerkirk Capital.


She’s also reported to be involved in several businesses, including a turboprop manufacturer in B.C., the Moose FM radio network in Ontario, and a hotel developer in Nova Scotia.


It is documented that Brydson is a long-time supporter of the arts, and sponsored a benefit at her Elmwood Spa in Toronto, which featured paintings by artist Charles Pachter.


After the Royal BC Museum in Victoria was refused funding to purchase the items, Brydson and cousin David Thomson paid $5.7 million for a collection of sacred Tsimshian aboriginal artworks.
Later, she funded a national tour to present the works to the public.

“These gems were meant to be passed down through the generations. One of the worst blunders ever made was the way they were stolen, and it has been returned,” Brydson told the Globe and Mail.


Brydson believes that well-being comes from a balance of inner and outer beauty and living within a healthy environment and society.

Net Worth

$12.5 billion

Achievement

In remembrance of her mother, Irma Thomson Brydson, who died in 1966, Brydson contributed $5 million to the TWCA Toronto in 2009. She’s also helped the YWCA develop the Elm Centre, a downtown Toronto affordable housing facility for women and children, making it one of Canada’s greatest grants to a charitable organization.