Janet Brown & David Swain

Helping leaders see what is possible and do what is required.
An organization is a network of conversations.
Leaders manage the dream.

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About

Strengthening performance to deepen impact.

JDBrownfields is a management consulting company based in Toronto. We offer strategy and change management consulting, as well as executive coaching and leadership team development services. Janet Brown, the Practice Lead for consulting, works primarily in the health care and not-for-profit sectors. David Swain, the Practice Lead for coaching, works across the private, public and charitable sectors.

Approach

Our Approach and History

Our mission is to help our clients envision what is possible, and then identify strategies to align people with goals and make results-focused change a sustainable reality.

To do this we employ an Integrated Strategic Change model - refined through years in the field - that integrates business strategy (head), organizational design (hands), and change management (heart). While many practice from one discipline or the other we firmly believe in the synergistic potential of all working together.

The name 'JDBrownfields' connotes the moment at the end of winter; the rise of hope, untapped potential and opportunity. Our name was also chosen in honour of a teacher, Mr. Brownfield, who encouraged Janet's father to pursue his dream to become a physician.

For both Janet and David, JDBrownfields is about fostering the courage in leaders to move things forward, expand their vision and make positive change for organizations, teams and individuals. Our client relationships have been long-term, and we are very proud to be a part of their journey.

Consulting Services

01
Strategic Planning
02
Change Management
03
Meeting Facilitation

Associates

Janet Brown

Janet Brown, co-founder of JDBrownfields, works with leaders and their teams to plan and implement strategic and sustainable business and organization change at all levels within an organization. She works primarily in the health care and health research sector.

Janet holds an honours BA in Psychology, an MBA, and a Masters of Science in Organization Development (MSOD). Janet has partially completed a PhD program at Fielding Graduate University focused on Human and Organizational systems. Prior to developing her own consulting company, Janet was a principal with Ernst and Young in their health care practice.

Janet has a depth of experience working with a wide range of organizations including St. Michael’s Hospital, the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS), the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care, Women’s College Hospital, CritiCall Ontario, Hamilton Health Sciences, SickKids, and Cancer Care Ontario.

In addition to supporting these organizations (and many others) as an external consultant, Janet worked internally as Director of Organization Development at Levi Strauss Canada and as a senior leader of the Business Transformation Office at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. Early in her career, Janet held several management roles at the Dellcrest Children’s Centre and subsequently served on their Board of Directors. Janet also served on the Board of Directors of the Toronto General Hospital during the amalgamation process with the Toronto Western Hospital.

Janet has supported several multiyear efforts to launch new Centres or programs, most notably the Learning Institute at SickKids, the Occupational Cancer Research Centre at CCO, the Centre of Research Expertise in Occupational Disease (CREOD), and MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital.

Projects

MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions

This large research centre at St. Michael’s Hospital works with community partners to develop and test on-the-ground solutions for complex urban health issues - many at the intersection of health and inequality.

I joined the centre to support what would be a seismic shift in its funding model and strategic plan.

I led a business planning process that aligned a set of diverse research programs with a common vision for impact. The new plan is a roadmap to grow the centre and support scale-up of the most promising solutions to impact policy change at local, provincial and national levels. Alongside centre leadership, I continue to support and track the plan’s implementation.

Since the centre was founded, the landscape had changed; it urgently needed a new funding model. I worked with MAP and an external agency to develop and launch a new brand and marketing campaign to build awareness for the issues and to attract investments from government and private donors. The centre has now successfully transitioned to a more sustainable mix of research and centre operational funding.

Projects

Tim Horton Children’s Foundation (Tim Horton Camps)

The Foundation’s executive team and board of directors engaged me to support a fundamental shift in business strategy. After decades of offering one-time camp visits to youth from low-income families, THCF was ready to shift to a multi-year program model that coordinates camp, school and community experiences.

This was a big step for the organization and a giant leap in commitment to the youth they serve.

I worked closely with the Foundation’s executive director, the senior team and Foundation Board members to develop a transformational strategic plan. I also provided change management support as they developed and rolled out an implementation plan. The plan required the active engagement of Tim Horton’s franchisee owners as well as community partners. The plan required the development of evidenced-based skill and leadership levels for youth, new levels of competency for staff, and renewed management policies and procedures to manage increasing levels of operational complexity.

Once commitment to the strategy was confirmed, the team agreed to move very quickly. As an exciting development, the team built impact measures into the new youth programming model, to allow for ongoing evaluation and learning over time. With time, their approach has the potential to become a model for innovative youth development in Canada and beyond.

The canoe image adjacent was developed to conceptualize the change journey and the key elements of the strategy. It served as a critical communication tool. And... the journey continues!

5-Year Strategic Plan 2017-2021

Projects

Centre for Research Expertise in Occupational Disease (CREOD)

I have spent over 20 years working within the Ontario health and safety system, beginning with a role leading the business transformation office of the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

More recently, I supported the launch and subsequent strategic planning for the Occupational Cancer Research Centre (OCRC), a joint undertaking of Cancer Care Ontario, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, the Canadian Cancer Society’s Ontario Division, and United Steelworkers. I’ve also provided facilitation support to several of the provincial health and safety associations and the Ministry of Labour Prevention Office.

During this same period, I helped to establish the Centre for Research Expertise in Occupational Disease (CREOD), a collaborative program of the University of Toronto and St. Michael’s Hospital. And I continue today to work with the director, Dr. Linn Holness, on CREOD’s KT strategy and her efforts on the province’s Occupational Disease Action Plan.

The below image captures the complexity of CREOD’s strategic agenda and approach.

Projects

Learning Institute, Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids)

SickKids needed a home base for the academic hospital’s extensive teaching and inter-professional learning activities; a central education centre that could help break down silos, share and improve teaching practices and offer joint training opportunities.

I was engaged to provide strategic planning, business planning and ultimately implementation support to help develop and launch the SickKids Learning Institute.

Over a two-year period and after extensive engagement, discussion and debate, a business plan and strategy emerged that excited the discipline leaders and the hospital. We launched the SickKids Learning Institute as a formal academic pillar of the hospital.

Today the Institute is a collaborative network of educators dedicated to strengthening the integration of research, care and education. It creates innovative approaches to education, curriculum development and cross-disciplinary evaluative methods. It’s home to a state-of-the-art learning space, facilities and tools. The Institute has attracted increased institutional commitment to the education role and ultimately SickKids Foundation donor support.

The below image captures the strategies established as the Institute was forming. They served to guide and ground the effort as our vision became a reality.

Clients

A selection of our past and current clients.

Home Instead Senior Care
CritiCall Ontario
Cancer Care Ontario Populations Studies and Surveillance Program
Hamilton Health Sciences Organizational Effectiveness Team
Aviva Health Services Division

MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael’s Hospital
Centre for Research Expertise in Occupational Disease, St. Michael’s Hospital and University of Toronto Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Department of Medicine
Tim Horton Children’s Foundation (Tim Horton Camps)
Canadian Cancer Society and the National Institute for Cancer Research (merger)
The Learning Institute, Sick Children’s Hospital
Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Cancer Care Ontario
Women’s Health Research Centre, Women’s College Hospital

Sick Children’s Hospital, development of an Advanced Model of Interprofessional Practice
Ontario Service Safety Alliance
Women’s College Hospital Family Practice
The Lung Association Work-Related Asthma Project
Public Health Ontario Infectious Disease and Prevention Control
University of British Columbia Contraception

References

MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions / St. Michael’s Hospital

I want to thank you for all your amazing work with MAP and St. Michael’s Hospital. The Centre would still be fretting about money, and probably with little or no action, if not for your efforts over these past several years. And it is not just the wonderful connections you've made to 'champions' but the way in which you've shaped the direction of the whole activity given your vision and amazing skills. I really can't thank you enough!

Dr. Patricia O’Campo, Executive Director
Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital

References

Cancer Care Ontario

It has been a real pleasure working with you. I have generally been known as a man of ideas and dreams. Those only come to fruition when I am matched with someone who makes them real. I strongly believe that you played that role with OCRC. We couldn’t have a better fit and thanks for bringing your experience from other centres. More than that I enjoyed very much working with you as a person, which in my mind is very important.

Dr. Jean-Yves Savoie, Cancer Care Ontario

References

Women’s College Hospital

Janet, you were amazing as usual. I cannot believe how well you think on your feet and adjust to the changing circumstances. Always great to work with you!

Dr. Sheila Dunn, Women’s College Hospital

Coaching / Executive Services

1.0
Executive Coaching
2.0
Executive Team Development

Associates

David Swain

David’s primary focus is on the practice of leadership and the many contributors for success, including leader skill and competency development, managing people and teams, moving from strategic thinking to planning to sustainable implementation, fostering creativity and innovation, and ultimately leading for results. His practice provides a refined balance of respecting and acknowledging the current culture of an organization, with the focused support necessary to move strategically and quickly in a new direction.

David’s extensive experience in both coaching the leaders of large organizations and leading them himself, imbues his consulting work with a unique and respectful appreciation of both the challenges and satisfaction of building new capabilities and achieving greater results in ever-changing business environments. He has a reputation for bringing a seasoned and calm approach to what is often a complex and charged time for an organization and its leadership group; times of crisis, times of opportunity and growth, and ultimately times of change.
www.davidswain.ca

Contact

Janet Brown

416-929-0684
janetbrown@jdbrownfields.com

JDBrownfields
341 ½ Wellesley Street East
Toronto, Ontario M4X 1H2