Top 50 Hokies Spotlight: Bridget Ryan Berman
When Bridget Ryan Berman was thinking about what schools to visit in Virginia from her hometown of Richmond, she knew she wanted to attend a state school and as soon as she visited Virginia Tech, she knew where she wanted to spend the next four years of her life, as well as a place she would support long after receiving her diploma.
Bridget Ryan Berman’s interest in fashion centered around working in retail during high school, which motivated her to pursue a degree in Business Administration at Virginia Tech, with the intent of learning more about the business side of fashion. When Ryan Berman wasn’t in the classroom, she was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority, Student Alumni Association and a batgirl for the Virginia Tech baseball team.
In a 2014 interview with a member of the Pamplin College of Business, she expressed her satisfaction with the direction Virginia Tech is going, saying,
Bridget Ryan Berman continues to support the university and Pamplin, participating in several networking events hosted by organizations within this college.
“I support the vision of the university. I also am incredibly proud of the school’s culture, it’s ethical values and the ongoing focus put towards the quality of academics, research innovation and diversification. I believe Virginia Tech strives to continually remain current in this fast-changing world. I am impressed with the direction Pamplin is going and I hope to always demonstrate my commitment to the school’s future through my actions and support.”
Ms. Berman continues to support the university and Pamplin, participating in several networking events hosted by organizations within this college.
Ten years after graduating, Ryan Berman started working at Ralph Lauren, where she served as a Group President and the Chief Operating Officer, Retail, from 1992-2004. Seven years later, after stints working as the Chief Operating Officer, Retail, at Apple and serving as the Chief Executive Officer at Giorgio Armani Corp, she began working for Victoria’s Secret as the Chief Executive Officer, Direct. When she started at Victoria’s Secret, she was responsible for upgrading its digital, online and catalog business, which was outdated. The motivation for upgrading these centered around the increasing knowledge consumers have about where they shop and the brands they want to support. Ms. Berman also streamlined their digital strategies as a way to help consumers find products easier and personalize what they would see when visiting the website.
During her esteemed professional career, Ms. Berman has worked as:
- Managing Partner of Ryan Berman Advisory, LLC
- Founder and Director of miraclefeet
- Group President and Chief Operating Officer (Retail) Ralph Lauren
- Chief Operating Officer (Retail) at Apple
- Chief Executive Officer at Giorgio Armani Corp
- Chief Executive Officer (Direct) at Victoria’s Secret
- Chief Experience and Strategy Officer at ENJOY Technology, Inc.
She also sits on numerous boards, including serving as the Chair of the Board of Directors at BH Cosmetics, as well as serving on the Board of Directors at TegraGlobal, Newell Brands, Asbury Automotive Group, Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc., the Virginia Tech Alumni Association and the Pamplin College of Business Advisory Board.
In 2010, Ryan Berman and her husband created MiracleFeet, a foundation centered around assisting children with bilateral clubfoot, a birth defect that her son was born with. Over the last decade, MiracleFeet has supported treatment for nearly ~50,000 children in 28 countries and those numbers continue to grow.
More information about this organization can be found by visiting this website: https://www.miraclefeet.org/https://www.miraclefeet.org/
