How a physicist turned Bridgehead into Ottawa's fair-trade coffee legend

Tracey Clark, the former CEO of Bridgehead, has been recognised for her decades of leadership in Ottawa. The city’s beloved fair-trade coffee chain grew into a local institution under her guidance. Now, her contributions have earned her a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Ottawa Business Journal and the Ottawa Board of Trade. Clark’s career began far from coffee shops. She studied physics at university before completing an MBA. Early roles included strategic work with the Aga Khan Foundation and BRAC, a development organisation in Bangladesh. Later, she designed a management training programme for engineers and scientists at the tech firm Newbridge.

In 2000, she took a different path. Bridgehead, then struggling financially, caught her attention. She bought the rights to the name and relaunched it as a fair-trade coffee hub. Over nearly two decades, the chain became a staple in Ottawa’s café culture. The business eventually sold for $9.5 million in 2019 to a Toronto-based buyer.

Beyond work, Clark stays active. At 61, she recently finished the Grand Traverse, a demanding hike through Quebec’s Gaspésie region. The Lifetime Achievement Award highlights Clark’s impact on business, community, and ethical trade in Ottawa. Her journey—from physics and international development to building a coffee empire—shows a career defined by adaptability and vision. The sale of Bridgehead marked the end of her direct involvement, but her influence remains in the city’s coffee scene.