Meet the mentor: Oliver Stevens (2006)
Jesus College has an innovative Careers and Mentoring Programme matching current students and recent alumni with experienced alumni and leaders in their fields. One of our mentors, Oliver Stevens (2006), tells us more about his career, his mentoring experience, and how he can support current students.
Can you tell us more about yourself?
My background is as a software engineer specialising in artificial intelligence and data. I’m currently CEO of Sabren. At Sabren we’re making machine learning and AI accessible. We work with teams across many sectors to deploy impactful AI systems – from materials science for renewable energy, to legal services and healthcare. Prior to Sabren I spent five years working as a technical lead for a US tech start-up (Massless), and before that I worked for seven years in academic research developing technology for non-invasive cancer screening.
What makes a good mentoring relationship in your experience?
In my experience the most effective mentoring comes from finding someone who has recently been through the same experience you’re about to go through. Not only is it inspiring and encouraging to see someone similar to you having succeeded, but you’ll get very current information too.
Can you tell us a few specific ways in which being a mentor or a mentee has been a rewarding and enriching experience for you?
Firstly as a mentee I remember working with a mentor from a similar sector who very candidly poked holes in my plans, then helped to rebuild them. There’s a level of honesty you can get from someone who cares about your success, but isn’t too invested or too close to you, that mentoring uniquely fulfils.
What would you want to read in an introductory message from another Jesuan seeking your help as a mentor?
It’s always great when there’s a specific goal in mind: a CV for an upcoming job application, help preparing for a specific interview, or advice about a particular area, etc. Having a goal like that makes for a very productive discussion.
Oliver has worked in wide range of tech roles from production software engineering, industrial/academic research, and technology commercialisation. Oliver is well placed to talk to students about transitioning between these areas, but also happy to talk about anything tech related. Current students can contact Oliver via Jesus Connect.
The views and opinions expressed in this article belong to Oliver Stevens (2006).
