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Networking and mentoring

Volunteer as one of our alumni mentors

Interested in giving back to your community? Your professional advice and experiences could be of enormous benefit to current students and recent graduates. Whatever your expertise, it is likely that you could help those who are contemplating their future career. This form of help is greatly appreciated by those who benefit directly, and by the College as a whole.

If you are interested in providing careers advice, or would like to act as a mentor to a current student or recent graduate, then please complete .

Please note, we use the term "mentoring" throughout our communications to refer to both one-off and long-term conversations.

All contact details will remain private and will not be published or shared with third parties.

Find a mentor

Connect with experienced alumni who have volunteered to support current students and recent graduates in their career development.

Featured mentors

This page showcases a selection of alumni mentors across various industries and career paths. Our featured mentor list is refreshed annually to ensure current availability.

Making contact

We've recently launched an expanded Mentors Directory featuring a broader range of professionals across diverse industries and career stages. To access the full directory and additional information, please contact the Development Office: development@cai.cam.ac.uk 

How to connect

To reach out to any mentor featured on this page or in our Mentors Directory, please complete our .

Important guidelines

Our alumni mentors generously volunteer their time, so it is essential to approach them respectfully and thoughtfully. Before making contact, please review these resources:

  •   (published by the University of Cambridge).
  • Safeguarding guidelines - advice and support for safe networking practices.

Following these guidelines demonstrates your professionalism and appreciation for their valuable time.

 

NB: This list of volunteers will be revised and refreshed in a year's time. Last updated March 2025.

 

Winsome Cheung (Medicine 2006)

Field: law

Offers: IP & commercial law advice specialising in life sciences and tech. , a former scientist turned solicitor, advises on strategic licensing, IP matters and partnering. Works with startups through to global pharma companies to build and monetise IP assets.

Tristan Fletcher (Manufacturing Engineering 1998)

Field: artificial intelligence & finance

Offers: practical guidance on applying machine learning to real-world industry challenges. Founded ChAI (using AI for commodity price volatility) after implementing AI at investment banks. provides insights on AI careers, venture building, and solving business problems with data science.

William Hamilton (Economics 2017)

Field: economic consulting & international development

Offers: advice on economic consulting and international development, particularly in Papua New Guinea, the Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leonne and Fiji. Experienced freelance Public Financial Management Consultant with expertise in developing economies. That means typically works with governments to implement fiscal policy.

Ben Kent (History 1986)

Field: professional services strategy

Offers: insights on professional services marketing from founding Meridian West. is a former corporate lawyer now specialising in research, thought leadership and strategy for major firms. Can guide students on career opportunities in professional services advisory and marketing roles.

Kanika Kitchlu-Connolly (Law 1998)

Field: law & career development

Offers: career coaching focusing on soft skills (presentations, business development, networking, confidence building) and structured career progression. is a qualified lawyer with over 21 years of City experience, including five years as a partner. She now pursues coaching to help early-career professionals succeed.

Debra Lennard (English 2006)

Field: arts and museums

Offers: Independent curator and Assistant Curator at Hayward Gallery Touring with experience at MFA Boston, MoMA and Guggenheim shares insights on careers within art museums. provides guidance on opportunities for entering the sector.

Ravi Rao (Medical Sciences 1986)

Field: medicine, biotech/pharma

Offers: developing your medical or scientific career, influencing and working in collaborative or complex environments, biotech with a medical degree and insight on transitioning from medical practice to academia. was academic physician and is currently working in biotech as an executive, investor and independent director.

Susie Scannelli Cook (Modern & Medieval Languages 1993)

Field: development finance & emerging markets investments

Offers: guidance navigating between law and finance, with insights and legal expertise in international finance, focusing on clean energy. qualified as a solicitor in 2001 with specialism in banking, working at SJBerwin and Freshfields. After roles at Credit Suisse and EBRD, Susie is currently co-founder of a company investing in solar projects in Africa.

Dan Shavick (Maths 1998)

Field: tech

Offers: advice on software development, entrepreneurship, how to choose (or be!) a good employer. is a founder of software services company and consultancy, Softwire, voted UK's .

Dr Prabhu Velusami (Medicine 1996)

Field: healthcare innovation & data science

Offers: insights on healthcare innovation from role as Senior Director at Johnson & Johnson. provides guidance on life sciences career options beyond NHS clinical practice and biotech. 

Sophie Watts (History 2004)

Field: media

Offers: expertise on filmmaking, content productions, media entrepreneurship, global media investor relations and media strategy.   leads a global venture creation group focused on talent-driven businesses across diverse industries. She is Co-Founder and former President of movie studio STX Entertainment, establishing movie, reality, and scripted TV studios with over 75 movies produced to date.

Sarah Watt (Natural Sciences 1999)

Field: retail/business

Offers: advice on career ambitions and personal branding, careers in the consumer sector, consumer business leadership – especially brand, marketing, product development, retail and e-commerce.  is Chief Executive Officer of Gisou, a global haircare and beauty consumer products business, and Supervisory Board Director of Bugaboo, a world leader in luxury strollers.