Olivia Roy

The Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University

“An experience seeker who uses her adaptability, problem-solving and positivity to overcome challenges.”

Hometown: Pembroke, Ontario

Fun Fact About Yourself: During the last ten months, I took advantage of a work placement in Europe to travel in 16 countries!

Undergraduate School and Major: Queen’s University, Bachelor of Science in Engineering (Mechanical)

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: PIA Automation (formally M&R Automation), Project Applications

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: First person in the Canadian office to be chosen for a ten month international work experience at my employer’s Austrian operations (former headquarters)

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? The class is very diverse – not only from location but also in work experience.  Also, everyone’s enthusiasm to begin the program makes me confident in the program I selected.

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? I want to strengthen my international work experience. I believe that after my placement in Austria, entering the MBA program would be the ideal time to add some framework to that experience. Desautels’ international study trip would provide insight and knowledge from industry experts while exploring another market.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? The McGill MBA Women’s Association. Working in a predominately male industry, it would be beneficial to have female mentors to share experiences and best practices.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? My passion to strengthen my business skills and expand my global work experience aligns well with pursing an MBA, especially at Desautels. In my most recent position, the projects I worked on focused on utilizing my technical and sales operations experience. My preference is to transition away from the technical side of the business into a managerial operations role.

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I knew I was ready to pivot career paths and after researching different options, I felt that the MBA would give me the best return on my initial investment. The program would not only strengthen my business foundation, but also expand my network – hopefully opening opportunities that otherwise would have been closed.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? UBC Sauder School of Business

How did you determine your fit at various schools? When researching universities and programs, the factors I considered were the following:  flexibility of the program (i.e. selecting specializations), focus on international business, livability of the city (i.e. affordability, employment opportunities), program length, and classroom size. I based these factors on my career objectives and created my own matrix to determine which program would be the best fit.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? During my undergraduate degree, I decided to pursue an international exchange – not a popular decision in my faculty. The experience gave me the confidence to pursue opportunities in a foreign country with no support system. I was able to apply this experience to my past role, when I had the chance to move abroad.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? I want to take the experience from the program and use it to transition to a role in operations. I have a career path planned, however I want to be open to learning from the experiences of others and allow some flexibility in my plans.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Working internationally again (hopefully), however, this time in a more senior role where I can apply my combination of technical knowledge, business acumen and leadership skills to make an even greater impact.