Liam Sturges, Sales Director at Datasite

What made you sign up as a mentor in the first place?

I was a mentee in the Young Professionals program back in 2015, which I found very helpful. Having someone who has been in my shoes and can now reflect on what they would do in my situation was a great resource. I wanted to be the same “sparring partner” for someone else.

What does mentorship mean to you?

It means paying attention, really listening, and trying to help. Everyone is different and cares about different things in life. It is important to find out what your mentee is interested in and then try your best to help them achieve it.

What has been the most rewarding part of mentoring a student?

Getting back in touch with SSE, student life, and the student experience in general. After more than 10 years of work, it feels refreshing to be reminded what students are doing, thinking, and caring about. I was also very curious to find out how, for example, AI and large language models are used in academia today, as these tools were not available when I studied. From an employer perspective, it has also been valuable to understand what the job market is like and what is important to current SSE students when choosing a career.

Have you developed or improved any personal skills through the program?

Definitely listening. I made it my focus to really listen to what my mentee was saying. As the saying goes, “you have two ears and only one mouth for a reason.” I tried to embrace active listening, which I believe has also helped me in other parts of my personal and professional life.

What advice would you give to future mentors?

Try to put yourself in your mentee’s shoes again. After years of work, it is easy to forget how unclear the path forward felt at the time. Everything makes sense in retrospect, but make sure to show empathy and understanding for your mentee. They have the whole world open to them and are just getting started.