Meet the Team at Sanctuary AI
James Wells
Chief Executive Officer
James Wells is the Chief Executive Officer of Sanctuary AI and has been with the company since 2018. With the team at Sanctuary AI, James pioneered new markets for general-purpose humanoid robots to address global growing labor challenges. He has previous experience as an entrepreneur–having co-created three companies with founding investments–and as a venture capitalist who led rounds in three early-stage tech companies, now resulting in $1 billion+ valuations. He specializes in the commercialization, strategy, and financing of breakthrough hardware technologies that impact the world on a planetary scale. Learn More
Olivia Norton
Co-Founder, CTO & CPO
Olivia Norton co-founded Sanctuary AI in 2018 and is our Chief Technology Officer and Chief Product Officer. Prior to founding Sanctuary AI, Olivia led the Vancouver-based Artificial General Intelligence group at Kindred AI and previously worked in consulting for the energy industry and R&D at the Institute for Biomechanics at ETH Zurich. Passionate about creating and scaling impactful technology, Olivia lends her voice and expertise to a variety of organizations and groups in the Vancouver tech ecosystem. She is a member of the Advisory Board at the Vancouver Economic Commission and a founding member of the Frontier Collective. She is a regular guest speaker at the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, the University of Calgary, and Science World. Olivia is a 2018 BC Business 30 under 30 award recipient and a 2019 Schulich School of Engineering Alumni Award winner. Learn More
Philip Smith
Chief Financial Officer
Philip Smith joined Sanctuary AI in 2021 after 30 years of experience in banking and capital markets. Prior to joining Sanctuary AI, Philip had a 27-year-long career at Scotiabank, most recently as the Head of Investor Relations. He also served as Global Head of Debt and Equity Capital Markets; prior to that, he was Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Global Banking and Markets. During his time with Scotiabank, Philip held a variety of increasingly senior roles in finance, capital markets, investment banking, and wealth management. Learn More
Our general purpose technology has the power to transform industries and redefine possibilities, and we are looking for the world’s best problem solvers—new team members who share our passion and excitement for the possibilities that await once we reach mission success. Choose your next career-defining moment at Sanctuary AI, browse our current openings and apply today.
About Sanctuary AI
Founded in 2018, Sanctuary AI is an award-winning general purpose robotics and physical AI company based in Vancouver, Canada, widely known for “Phoenix,” its general purpose robot unveiled in 2022. Sanctuary AI is focused on creating dexterous intelligence for autonomous labor to help address the labor challenges facing many organizations today. The commanding IP portfolio of Sanctuary AI–ranked third globally–along with their proprietary dexterous hand technology, uniquely positions the company as a leader in the field.
Sanctuary AI's growing list of customers and investors represents a wide variety of industries across Canada, the US, Japan and other countries around the world.
