Building a cross-industry career: How the UBC MBA opened doors from Amazon to AI
Digvijay Sodha (UBC MBA, 2022) on the UBC Point Grey campus while completing his UBC MBA at the UBC Sauder School of Business.
In this Q&A, UBC Sauder alum Digvijay Sodha (UBC MBA, 2022) reflects on his journey from operations roles at Amazon to innovation-focused work at Sanctuary AI and now leading the Project Management Office at Article. He shares how the UBC MBA helped build the business acumen, confidence, and strategic perspective needed to step into new domains. Digvijay also offers practical advice for incoming students on making the most of UBC Sauder’s resources, community, and learning environment.
Tell us a little bit about yourself
I am originally from Mumbai, India and now based in Vancouver, Canada.
Can you walk us through your career journey since graduating from UBC Sauder?
I joined UBC Sauder after a two-decade long career in the military. After my UBC MBA, I pivoted from leading the operations of multi-billion dollar assets that include naval fleets to warehousing operations at Amazon.
This was followed by building operational excellence at Vancouver-based humanoid robotics company, Sanctuary AI. I’m currently leading the project management office at Article, a Canadian, homegrown, e-commerce furniture company.
The journey has kept me squarely in my stretch zone, pushing me to learn something new at every step. I’ve seen how Amazon embeds Lean principles into massive warehousing and retail operations, and I’ve been part of building a humanoid robot while planning how an entire fleet would operate. Today, I lead a geographically distributed team focused on driving efficiency across complex furniture manufacturing and commercialization.
What is one highlight of your career that you’re especially proud of?
I’m especially proud of the path that took me from the military into the corporate world. I left my career in the Navy right in the middle of COVID lockdowns, stepping into a future that felt completely unknown. Despite the uncertainty, I stayed focused on the long–term path, made intentional choices, and kept moving toward opportunities that would eventually shape where I am today.
The UBC Sauder MBA became the launchpad that helped me navigate that shift with confidence and gave me the corporate lens I needed to take my career in a new direction.
Why did you choose UBC Sauder and your specific program?
I chose UBC Sauder because it truly valued the depth of my work experience. That signaled something important to me: the program wasn’t focused on where you are in life, but on what you bring to the room.
The admissions team immediately recognized that my years of leading large teams in high-pressure environments would add a meaningful perspective to the cohort, and that mattered.
I was also drawn to UBC Sauder’s strong focus on sustainability and climate, areas that align closely with my personal values and the kind of impact I want to make in my career. I knew this was where I could build the skills to engage with those issues more deeply.
And, honestly, studying in Vancouver was a bonus I couldn’t ignore. The natural beauty, the outdoors, the energy of the city, it all made the experience even more appealing.
How did your experience at UBC Sauder shape your career path or contribute to your growth? Were there any resources or centres that supported you?
I came to UBC Sauder because I knew I needed to learn the language of business. UBC Sauder opened the full landscape of business, from strategy and operations to leadership and entrepreneurship, in a way that helped me understand not just what drives organizations, but why they move the way they do.
My UBC MBA became the catalyst for reshaping my professional path. It gave me the confidence and clarity to rebuild my career with intention, using the frameworks and fundamentals that I learned in the competitive program as my compass. And every step since – whether leading operations at Amazon in Ontario and Vancouver, stepping into the world of humanoid robotics, or leading a team at Article while also building a fintech venture for middle-income Canadians on the side, has been grounded in what I absorbed during the program. I find myself often returning to the tools, frameworks, and structured problem-solving approaches I learned at UBC Sauder. They’ve helped me break down complex problems and make smarter decisions.
What advice would you give to someone considering a business education at UBC Sauder?
Come with an open mind to learn. Make the most of the opportunities that come your way during the MBA program. For International students, networking is a skill that UBC Sauder encourages and teaches. Use every opportunity to master this skill.
