Will Gray

Babson College’s F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business

“Someone who would prefer having others describe them!”

Hometown: Boston, MA

Fun Fact About Yourself: Former college hockey player turned avid men’s league player

Undergraduate School and Major: Trinity College, B.S. in Economics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Black Duck Software, Regional Sales Manager; Head of Business Development, AGC Partners

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Promoted to the first-ever Head of Business Development role for AGC Partners, a Boston-based boutique tech-focused investment bank.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Diverse. 80% of our class is international, and as a local Bostonian, I’m extremely lucky to work alongside and learn from impressive individuals from every corner of the globe.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? The entrepreneurial focus of the program. As someone who respects entrepreneurs in any capacity and strives to improve my entrepreneurial ability, I felt a gravitational pull to how Babson prioritizes this throughout the MBA program.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I’m most looking forward to working alongside two other MBA students as analysts for the Private Equity Committee, a sub-committee of the Board of Trustees that is responsible for investing 20%+ of Babson’s endowment into private equity and venture capital funds.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career?  At 27, I felt comfortable with taking a calculated risk by pursuing full-time personal growth over a considerable income stream at this point in my life. In addition, I had spent two years in investment banking and two years with a high-growth cybersecurity software company, but I hadn’t applied my entire focus to the portfolio of residential real estate investment properties that my two best friends and I have built. I felt that business school offered me the opportunity to narrow my focus and build more skills to improve the entrepreneurial approach to real estate investing.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? Prior to applying, I had spoken with dozens of MBAs and non-MBAs about how they chose whether to pursue the degree. Based on their feedback and with Babson’s valuable scholarship contributions, I believed I was ready to make this commitment to myself.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? None

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I made my decision based on feedback from alumni, current students, mentors, and professionals in the Boston area.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? When I was recruited and finally received an offer to play hockey at Trinity College, it was a major inflection point in my life. Just a few years prior, no one would have thought I’d have that opportunity, but through hard work, sacrifice and determination, I proved to myself what I could accomplish. That moment gave me confidence never to limit my goals, no matter the arena.

What do you plan to do after you graduate?  Ideally, I would fundraise to continue expanding the portfolio of residential real estate opportunities that my two business partners (and former Trinity hockey players) and I have built over the past two years.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Working alongside great people, who share a goal of building businesses with a mission to succeed, while also contributing back to the communities we value.