Hugh Churchill shares with us his career working with General Motors after MIT, and we dive into his experience helping GM produce ventilators as a part of the Defense Production Act. We also talk about the future of electric vehicles and his current role working with EV experience and industrialization. Hugh lives in the greater Detroit area.

The LGO Playbook is a unique set of skills and strategies that have helped generations of LGOs provide leadership in operations. This year we are inviting alumni to share pages from their unique LGO Playbooks through stories of impactful experiences. Join us to learn more about our diverse community while gaining tangible skills for the future.

Alex shares his experience going remote during the COVID-19 outbreak and how he and his team have been working stay on top of the rush in people ordering much more online. He works for Wayfair in Boston, Massachusetts and his team handles delivery logistics.

The LGO Playbook is a unique set of skills and strategies that have helped generations of LGOs provide leadership in operations. This year we are inviting alumni to share pages from their unique LGO Playbooks through stories of impactful experiences. Join us to learn more about our diverse community while gaining tangible skills for the future.

~

~

By Nicole Oliver, Class of 2020

Why LGO?
I have always loved multidisciplinary work, but hadn’t found a way to marry my interest in theory with an appetite for real-world problems until I stumbled upon the world of operations as a consultant. Curious to learn more, I applied to LGO. It was the perfect program (and at MIT of all places!) to learn about the broader business context of supply chain challenges, while geeking out about the technical tools required to tackle them. It also offered a unique opportunity to grow by learning from incredible, down-to-earth classmates.

What is the coolest project you’ve been able to work on since coming to MIT and LGO?
Last spring, I represented MIT at the Patagonia Case Competition 2019 at Berkeley Haas with a fellow LGO, two MBA Sloanies, and two PhD students. We pitched our solution for sustainable packaging for Patagonia’s food and apparel products and won first place! It was an incredible experience to work with friends across MIT to come up with a creative solution, and to meet students from nine other universities with the same passion for the environment.

What are your hopes for diversity in LGO and in industry?
A friend and I have been working on a 3-hour leadership session for LGOs focusing on diversity and inclusion with the help from a supportive faculty member. We hope to facilitate an open (virtual!) discussion that will bring us and our classmates to set the right intention for fostering D&I in our respective workplaces after MIT. I would love to see more women in operations! As managers, we’ll have the opportunity to lean into the hard conversations, practice empathy, and even proactively combat systemic issues. I think the LGO community is uniquely positioned to take these opportunities and catalyze change.

Why LGO?

After 5 years in consulting I had learned a lot about how to work in teams, communicate, and deliver; I didn’t feel like my work had much impact. I wanted to double down on my Industrial Engineering undergrad degree and transition to a career in operations in a way that would accelerate my career and allow me to see that my work was meaningful. LGO was distinctly appealing to me because in addition to the dual degree element, it had a strong focus on leadership development. The tight knit community and continued opportunities to work learn and practice leadership were a big part of the reason I chose to go to LGO, and I’m so glad I did!

What are you doing post-LGO?

I’m currently Vice President of Operations at HelloFresh, and am responsible for our Culinary, Product and Procurement teams. I joined HelloFresh’s Special Operations team in 2016 and have had the opportunity to work up and down the supply chain: leading a fulfillment Center (twice!), scaling our Procurement Operations team, setting up our Supply Chain Analytics team, leading our first ever acquisition and integration of Green Chef, and more. I’ve enjoyed being part of the ops leadership team that took this company public, through several years of massive growth, and delivered a profitable year in 2019!

What has been your biggest takeaway from your time at MIT?

I truly appreciate MIT’s motto “mens et manus” – Mind and Hands. Knowledge is nothing if you don’t have practical experience in applying it. At MIT I experienced how practice cements knowledge, and taking the time to reflect after big decisions or events has helped me learn how to be more effective. LGO provided practice not only in its curriculum, but also through the experiences of my other 49 peers – it would take several lifetimes to gather that practice, yet this tight knit community gives me access to them in a matter of minutes (even 4 years after graduating!)

Why LGO?

“In my previous job, I had been observing a ‘gap’ between technical and business teams that created obstacles and elongated the process of reaching a goal. When I decided to pursue my passion in environmental sustainability, I realized that I need to master both sides to ‘close the gap’ and expedite real-life implementation for innovative solutions. I believe that the combination of leadership, business management, and technical knowledge that LGO offers will enable me to amplify my impact on the world. Besides, the tightly-knit LGO family is just the best!”

What is the coolest project you’ve been able to work on since coming to MIT and LGO?

“Last semester, my team worked with a startup which is growing and supplying pink algae for cattle feed that can reduce cattle’s methane emission by 80%! This semester, I am doing a project on building a product to help Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) patients with their thermoregulation, and a simulation of global carbon cycle – understanding how the Earth’s temperature changes will affect our planet’s carbon inventory and atmospheric carbon dioxide level.”

How have you been able to engage with communities of women at MIT and LGO?

“I like to seek out more-experienced female colleagues as “life mentors”. They help me figure things out when I have big life decisions, no matter if it involves academics, personal, or much more. At MIT, we have SWIM (Sloan Woman In Management) and I helped conduct an Ask Me Anything session about “Women In Workplace”, where people create open dialogue. More importantly, in LGO we have Ladies’ Wine and Cheese events! What’s better than aging a friendship over an aging wine ;)”

JS Bolton shares her experiences in the manufacturing world, moments that have made a difference for her, and how she has grown as a leader. She currently works for Nissan in Smyrna, Tennessee where her team manufactures and assembles multiple vehicle models.

The LGO Playbook is a unique set of skills and strategies that have helped generations of LGOs provide leadership in operations. This year we are inviting alumni to share pages from their unique LGO Playbooks through stories of impactful experiences. Join us to learn more about our diverse community while gaining tangible skills for the future.

~

Why LGO?

“I chose LGO because the program offers an attractive balance between technical, business, and leadership experiences while surrounded by a great community of people. I want to leverage my engineering background in leading diverse teams to build and deliver transformative technology products. LGO not only provides me with the extensive toolkit needed to be successful in this space, but also welcomes me into the broader LGO family.”

What has been your biggest takeaway from your time at MIT?

“Since starting at MIT, I have come to realize that the journey is more important than the destination. We all are capable of accomplishing monumental goals in our lifetime. However, the paths we take will vary and differ. I am now more intentional about being mentally present each day, and subsequently taking the time to reflect on my experiences.”

What are your hopes for diversity in LGO and in industry?

“I feel strongly about maintaining diversity in LGO so that others who look like me can have this opportunity as well. Diversity brings different perspectives and backgrounds together, which has the power for great discussion and learning. Moving forward, I have three goals for diversity in LGO and industry:

1. Sustained partnerships between LGO and diversity-oriented professional organizations such as MLT, NSBE, SHPE, and SWE.
2. LGO continues to increase the number of diverse protagonists for case-based discussions in the classroom.
3. Companies will prioritize and dedicate resources towards creating inclusive workplace environments”

Why LGO?

“I love operations, and I always wanted to become the leader who makes the difference in people’s lives. I saw LGO as the best place where I could equip myself with the tools to become a better leader. MIT LGO was not only the place where I expanded my knowledge in operations, but it was also a place where I felt super blessed for being able to share times with a group of amazing, talented and supportive classmates. Trust me, I was not taking anything for granted.”

What advice or resources would you recommend for interested LGO prospectives and applicants?

“So, the advice that I have for you, prospective applicant, would be that if you are ready to let your light shine so that others can see you as a model of excellence, if you want to fulfill your dream so that others can see it as an opportunity to do the same, I strongly recommend that you apply to the MIT LGO program. Don’t let the world around you tell you that it will be impossible for you to get into the school because you are not a perfect candidate. Instead, remind them that a tiny light always overcome darkness, that you will not give up, and that you will find a way to shine. I believe you can do this. I believe in you.”

~

What were you doing before LGO?

“I was working at Amgen as a Strategic Planning and Operations Manager. My main focus was on data science and information technology but I was lucky to be involved in a broad spectrum of projects. Before Amgen I worked for a scientific computing company called Wolfram Research as a technology specialist.”

Why did you decide on LGO?

“I felt like it was the right time in my career to take a step back and refocus on improving my technical and managerial skill set. I thought LGO was exactly what I was looking for: a program offering broad technical knowledge with real-world experience.”

What are you looking forward to doing while at MIT?

“I’m looking forward to meeting new people, learning new things, and gaining a better understanding of the role technology will continue to play in industry.”

What were you doing before LGO?

“I spent the last decade in the United States Marine Corps serving as an attack helicopter pilot. When I wasn’t flying, I took on many leadership roles in operations and aircraft maintenance across the globe. At my last duty station, I also got involved in standardizing some of the procedures and cockpit systems to help transition the service to a new aircraft series. By far, my favorite part of the job was the people that I’ve met and learned from along the way.”

Why did you decide on LGO?

“I’ve always been at the crossroads of engineering and business. I had a really great engineering experience as an undergraduate that I wanted to continue, and I also wanted to translate the leadership and management skills that I learned in the military to business. The world-class education that MIT offers speaks for itself, but what really drew me to LGO was all the inspiring people that I’ve met from across many different industries. Some are my classmates, some are from partner companies, and many are just visitors. The one thing that they have in common is the goal of making a positive impact on operations, and being part of such a team was the right decision for me.”

What are you looking forward to doing while at MIT?

“I am completely aligned with MIT’s motto of Mens et Manus, and there is no other program comparable to LGO when it comes to that. Naturally, I am looking forward to applying what I have learned in class during my internship with one of the partner companies. I am thankful for this opportunity and for my classmates, and I can’t wait for the future!”