Career Canvas (#6) - Gitanjali

Our conversation with Gitanjali, MBA candidate at Kellogg, ex - Microsoft, waricrew and WebVeda

Hey there,

On our sixth Career Canvas conversation, meet Gitanjali Jaggi. She is currently pursuing her MBA from Kellogg. She has had multiple roles across Microsoft while working with Ankur Warikoo on waricrew and WebVeda. Gitanjali's journey reflects her passion for problem-solving, innovation, and leadership. In this conversation, she shares her experiences at Microsoft, insights on transitioning to new roles, and how she's leveraging her past to shape her future as a business leader. Gitanjali's story is a powerful reminder of the value of collaboration, continuous learning, and staying true to one's purpose in the ever-evolving professional world.

Can you tell us more about yourself

My name is Gitanjali, and I’m originally from Delhi. Right now, I’m living in a small town near Chicago while pursuing my MBA at the Kellogg School of Management. Before coming to Kellogg, I spent about four and a half years at Microsoft in their sales and marketing division. I graduated with a B.Tech in Computer Science from DTU. Growing up, I was inspired by my cousins, who worked for companies like Yahoo and Google. I wanted to follow in their footsteps, not just because of their exciting jobs but also the kind of lives they led—living in the U.S. with a certain lifestyle. However, about a year and a half into my B.Tech, I realized coding wasn’t for me. It was a tough realization, but it pushed me to explore other career options that combined technology with business, and that’s how I eventually found my path.

How did your time at DTU shape your early career aspirations?

Like many students, I started my B.Tech with a lot of excitement, thinking I’d become a software engineer. But during my second year, I realized I didn’t enjoy coding, and honestly, I wasn’t great at it either. It was disheartening at first because I’d put so much thought into pursuing this field. But thanks to conversations with seniors, I learned about roles that focused on sales and marketing in tech companies, and they seemed like a better fit for me. By my third year, I was clear that I wanted to work at Microsoft, particularly in their Global Sales Marketing and Operations (GSMO) team. I interned with them after my third year, and thankfully, I secured a pre-placement offer. That experience laid the foundation for my career, blending technology with customer-focused business roles.

Can you share insights into your role as a Partner Development Manager at Microsoft?

My journey at Microsoft was incredibly enriching. My first role was in Customer Success, where I worked on the post-sales side of the business. My job was to ensure that customers who bought Microsoft solutions were using them effectively, so they’d renew their contracts. It was my first exposure to the B2B world, and it gave me a strong foundation in understanding how businesses operate beyond just making a sale.

After about two and a half years, I felt limited by focusing only on the post-sales part of the cycle, so I transitioned into a Partner Development Manager role. This was much more dynamic—I worked with startups building niche solutions on Microsoft Azure. My job was to help them migrate their solutions to Azure, provide migration and integration support , and connect them with Microsoft’s enterprise customers. Essentially, I was managing 20 different partner relationships, almost like running 20 businesses at once. What made this role exciting was the exposure to CXOs of startups and learning how they think about pricing, customer segmentation, and scaling their products. It deepened my interest in growing and leading businesses, which eventually inspired me to pursue an MBA at Kellogg.

Any Challenges which you faced here?

During my time at Microsoft, one of the biggest challenges I faced was transitioning from a technology background to a sales-driven role. Initially, I had no business sense and felt lost in understanding the sales process. However, I was fortunate to receive comprehensive training on the fundamentals of sales, which helped me reshape my perception of it. The training also emphasized how to turn around the negative reputation of sales and truly understand its value.

Another challenge was overcoming skepticism due to my age. Some clients doubted my ability to manage high-value business relationships. To address this, I focused on highlighting how my fresh perspective and unique insights could add value, turning my age into an advantage. I also had to rapidly ramp up my business knowledge, especially as I began interfacing with high-level executives. While I could initially rely on my learning curve, I eventually had to work hard to catch up. Microsoft’s supportive culture played a key role in this.

Overall, these challenges shaped my growth, and I learned the importance of adaptability, continuous learning, and leveraging my unique strengths in a corporate environment.

Balancing a demanding corporate role with other ventures is impressive. How did you manage your time and priorities, also what motivated you to take on roles like Courses Manager at waricrew and Business Unit Lead at WebVeda?

I started working with Ankur Warikoo even before joining Microsoft, during my final year of engineering. I came across a LinkedIn post where Ankur was building his social media team and decided to apply, despite having no experience in social media. My motivation was simply to get back into work mode before starting my full-time job. I planned to work with him for three months, but when COVID hit, I realized I could manage both roles without impacting my day job.

My manager at Microsoft was supportive, so I continued working with Ankur for over a year and a half. I led the YouTube team, growing the channel from 7,000 to 1 million followers. Eventually, I wanted a new challenge, so I took on the role of Business Unit Lead at webveda, our edtech business, helping to expand our course offerings from two to eight. Managing my own team there felt like running a business, and I learned a lot—sometimes even more than I did at Microsoft.

The experience helped me develop strong time management skills, and my managers at Microsoft supported my side ventures, recognizing the value they added to my professional growth.

Can you share a standout moment or achievement from your experiences with waricrew or WebVeda?

One standout moment at waricrew was the unique culture Ankur has built, where everyone could truly be themselves. There was a sense of camaraderie, where even small moments like a video of me sleeping on Instagram became part of the team’s fun. What made it special was how the team appreciated each person for who they were, without any pressure to conform.

Another standout aspect was the diversity within the team. People came from all corners of India, each bringing a different perspective. Whether it was problem-solving or brainstorming creative solutions, the variety of thought processes led to the best outcomes.

From a business perspective, Ankur had a clear vision for building a brand and an employer reputation where people genuinely wanted to work. He focused on giving his team the freedom to do their best work, offering perks and resources without salary negotiations, with the expectation of high-quality outcomes. This approach helped waricrew attract and retain talented individuals who thrived in such a supportive environment.

How has the MBA experience been so far? Any key takeaways that have surprised you?

So far, my MBA experience at Kellogg has been incredible, especially because of the collaborative and supportive culture. I applied to Kellogg because I was drawn to how people emphasize teamwork and transparency, and that has been true beyond my expectations. There’s no backstabbing or hidden agendas; people genuinely want to help each other. As someone who values transparency, this environment allows me to be open about my challenges without second-guessing others' intentions.

Kellogg’s reputation for creativity and innovation, particularly in marketing, is something I resonate with as I consider myself a creative person. While Kellogg is moving away from being solely known as a marketing school, the creative ethos is still very much alive. People here approach problems in unique ways, often breaking traditional molds to achieve great results.

What has also surprised me is the opportunity to take initiative and create value. For example, I’m managing the Dean’s Consulting Alliance, which connects students with real-world challenges at Kellogg. It’s designed to empower students to solve problems within the university, similar to how businesses operate. This program reflects a key takeaway: if you see a problem, you don’t have to wait for others to fix it—you can step up and make a difference.

What have been some initial learnings you have had at Kellogg and how do you see your past experiences shaping your post-MBA goals?

One key learning at Kellogg has been realizing the value of brand recognition. I initially underestimated how much respect people have for my experience at Microsoft. Many have sought my opinion on how Microsoft would approach various problems, which has made me appreciate the influence of working for such a prominent company. I now see how I can leverage both Microsoft and Kellogg’s brand value to secure opportunities aligned with my goal of becoming a business leader.

As for my post-MBA goals, I'm still figuring out what specific problem I want to solve, but I know I enjoy working on business challenges. Consulting seems like a great start given its fast learning curve, and I see it as a potential path to sharpen my skills.

Are there specific skills or perspectives you hope to develop during your time at Kellogg?

At Kellogg, I aim to develop a more holistic understanding of business. So far, my roles have been functional, focused on areas like sales or post-sales. I want to learn how different departments—sales, marketing, product, and engineering—work together to drive business success.

I’m also interested in entrepreneurship, particularly in how to commercialize innovative ideas in India. While we generate creative solutions to niche problems, the challenge is scaling these ideas beyond local contexts.

Lastly, I want to refine my leadership style, understanding how to build and lead teams, define non-negotiables, and handle tough decisions like even firing someone in the most constructive way possible.

Blitz Questions

Best thing you read recently:
A quote that resonated with me: "Think of rejection as a request for more information." When someone says no, asking why allows you to refine your approach and improve your solution.

Any advice to professionals exploring multiple roles or skills simultaneously:
First, ensure you have your manager's buy-in, especially if you're balancing a day job. They're the ones who will support you if things go wrong. If they’re not supportive of your learning journey, it may be time to move on. Find a culture that allows you to learn and grow in the way that works best for you.