Jane MacGillivray

MIT, Sloan School of Management

“Software engineer who loves to help teammates, solve complex problems, and learn new things.”

Hometown: Calgary, Canada

Fun Fact About Yourself: I spent so much time hiking during lockdown I wore holes into two pairs of hiking boots and had several interesting encounters with Canadian wildlife.

Undergraduate School and Major: (Include Graduate School if Relevant) BA.S. in Computer Engineering at the University of British Columbia

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Staff Engineer at Harry’s Inc.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of MIT Sloan’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? MIT Sloan’s curriculum felt like it was tailor-made for what I want out of an MBA program. Many of the classes are grounded in quantitative analysis and have practical components (like the Action Learning labs). We have the opportunity to take non-Sloan graduate level classes at MIT and Harvard, and some Sloan classes are open to non-MBA students. Working across disciplines is a big part of MIT Sloan; I was really focused on finding a school where I could merge my technical background as a software engineer with the business and management knowledge gained from earning an MBA. It was really clear that I would be encouraged to accomplish this at MIT Sloan.

Action Learning Labs are one of MIT Sloan’s biggest attractions. Which lab interests you most? How does it fit with your interests? It’s hard because all of them sound really cool, but I’m especially excited about the Operations Lab. In my previous role I had the opportunity to work closely with our analytics team and our supply chain team, which made me interested in how technology can be used to connect data and refine processes across an organization to find new opportunities and improve operations. That requires a lot of cross functional work, building relationships with people, and solving complex problems; all of which are a part of the Ops Lab curriculum. Also, Ops Lab is part of both the MBA and the Leaders for Global Operations program, so I’m hopeful that I’ll get to use some of my skills as a software engineer during the project.

When you think of MIT, what are the first things that come to mind? How have your experiences with the Sloan program thus far reinforced or upended these early impressions? My initial opinion of MIT was formed by my experience working with MIT Sloan grads. The people I’ve had the chance to work with are very technical and analytical while also being very down to earth. That “technical and down to earth” vibe has definitely been reinforced as I’ve learned more about the program through my experience with the application process and meeting a bunch of my fellow students!

What excites you about earning an MBA in the Boston area? Boston has a university town feel while also being a major city with many startup ventures in a variety of industries as well as major corporations.

Plus, I’m interested to see what living in Boston does to my Canadian accent.

What is your unique quality that will enable you to make a big contribution to the Class of 2026? I’ve been told I am good at explaining how software systems work to a variety of audiences, and being able to collaborate with non-engineers to come up with technical solutions to different problems. I’m hoping I’ll be able to effectively share my technical knowledge with my classmates.

I also know a lot about what to do if you come across a bear while hiking, though I’m not sure how big of a contribution that’ll be.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I got to be a part of a small cross-functional team that switched the distribution network my company used for our entire online business in the United States. It was during the holiday season and the goal was to complete the move in a fifth of the usual time. It was my responsibility to design and build the integration with the new distribution partner within our homegrown order management system.

The fun challenge was figuring out how to switch networks without causing any disruption to our customers. I worked closely with our supply chain team to come up with the best way to have two distribution networks running in parallel as we completed the switch, and what kind of tooling I could build to give the team much needed visibility into orders and inventory.

We launched on time with no major issues and the switch reduced our year-over-year distribution cost substantially. I’m proud of the tools I built that helped the team manage the transition, but I’m most proud of how the team worked together.

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into MIT Sloan’s MBA program? MIT’s application was the most focused on why I was a good fit for MIT and what I had learned in my career so far versus articulating my future plans. With that in mind, I would say it’s important to understand what in your past has led you to believe an MBA is the right next step for you, and why you believe MIT Sloan is the best place to get your MBA.

I also think it’s important that your application sounds like you. It’s so easy to over-edit your essays, or sanitize stories so you come across sounding perfect, but it became clear during the process that the admissions team wants to understand who you are.

DON’T MISS: MEET MIT SLOAN’S MBA CLASS OF 2026