Len Theivendra is a Senior Advisory Engineer and Architect at IBM, holding four patents. He is also a world renowned Travel Blogger, having travelled to 59 countries and gaining great recognition for his breath taking pictures from around the world.
Ever since he was a child, Len has always loved tinkering with things and building stuff. His passion with computers began the Christmas his parents bought him a Commodore 64 in his early teenage years. This new found love for programming went hand in hand with his love for math and physics. By the time high school hit, Len knew exactly what he wanted to be: a software engineer. He ended up receiving the Canadian Scholarship Award for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement upon his high school graduation for placing in the top 5 percentile of high school graduates across Canada. With the encouragement of his family to do what he loved, he went on to obtain a B.A.Sc. degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Toronto.
During his undergrad, Len became fascinated by artificial intelligence and committed to pursuing graduate studies in it. This desire shifted after his third year internship/co-op with IBM, which changed his perspective completely. After his convocation, Len accepted a full time position at IBM Software in Toronto and has been working there ever since, while also concurrently maintaining a P.Eng. status. To date, Len has attained four patents in enterprise Java programming technology and has received a special invention achievement award from IBM for one of his patents placing in the list of top 10% of income earning patents for the company.
“It is very important to dip your feet in real-world experience when in school (if possible), as that can help to give you broader perspectives and lead you to either solidify or completely change your goals for the future.” – Len Theivendra
Currently, Len holds the position of IBM’s lead for Java Enterprise development software. He oversees multiple engineering teams located in Toronto, the US, and Mexico. On a typical day, Len oversees multiple aspects of development and release of software products as well as the associated teams (engineering and development, testing, documentation, marketing, project management, etc.). He also acts as a liaison between IBM and other companies to collaborate and contribute to open source software that benefits all their products. Aside from that, he does an array of other things such as publishing articles and presenting at conferences. His motivation for work is his absolute love for what he does and the diverse challenges he faces that garnish an optimal environment to create cutting edge technology.
“Within a company as large as IBM, one has the opportunity to pursue and succeed as an intrapreneur. This is something that I got to delve into at IBM, when I got the opportunity to work in various diverse roles in engineering & development, testing, project management, etc. I think it’s important for young professionals to try to find ways they can take on entrepreneurial roles within a large organiz
ation, constantly seeking to improve, shake things up, and introduce new ideas, to innovate, etc.” – Len Theivendra
Len is also a travel blogger with a great aptitude for photography. He has travelled to every continent and has been ranked amongst the top photographers by Outpost Magazine and Toronto Star in their photography contests for his breathtaking photography from around the world. His photography has also been featured in various other publications. This passion for travel was sparked by seeing his father’s love for travel when he worked for UN’s World Tourism Organization in Sri Lanka. Len’s travel blog can be found at http://flyseestay.com/ . You can also follow Len on his travel adventures through his instagram @lentheivendra.
“Do what you love. Can’t stress that enough.” – Len Theivendra
Co-Executive Editors: Narmitha Kanagaratnam & Stefi Anthonipillai
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