[2] He was educated at Sevenoaks School, and Christ Church, Oxford, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

In 2001, he was seconded to HM Treasury where he rose to be managing director of Public Services 2004–06, replacing Sir Nicholas Macpherson.

[5] From September 2013 to May 2014, Stephens worked as a reviewer at HM Treasury, and joined the Northern Ireland Office as Permanent Secretary in June 2014.

[7] On 26 April 2012, Stephens appeared before the Public Accounts Committee at the House of Commons, where he was asked 10 times by Margaret Hodge MP about whether he knew that Adam Smith, a special adviser to Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt, was acting as a liaison between his department and media owner Rupert Murdoch.

Stephens was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 2013 Birthday Honours for public service, especially to the Olympic Games in London.