Steven Edwards

Honorary Fellow

Steve Edwards (1976, Physics), a prominent philanthropist, educationalist and social entrepreneur, was the Chief Executive and co-founder of bestCourse4me, a free not-for-profit university comparison website which aims to let UK students make more informed choices about university courses. Steve funded the initiative with his wife, Dr Ros Smith.

Embarking on a successful career in computer software, Steve and Ros founded Geneva Technology to design and install billing software for telecoms and energy utility companies. Originally set up as a consultancy in 1989, Geneva Technology became a world leader in telecom billing systems. They sold it in 2001 to US company Convergys.

Steve was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2013 in recognition of his services to philanthropy and higher education. Steve and Ros have generously supported the Hall for many years, alongside Ros’s alma mater, Murray Edwards College, Cambridge.

Since selling Geneva Technology Steve has worked as a helicopter pilot in the offshore gas industry, and become an experienced adventurer who recently walked the last degree to the North Pole after becoming the first British person to fly a hot air balloon from the North Pole. In 2016 he was also part of a team that sailed around the North Pole in one summer season, the only British crew and only the third crew in history, to do so. The mission was a success, with the North West Passage traversed in just 14 days. The crew undertook the voyage to raise awareness of the effects of global warming on the Arctic, as well as the need to responsibly plan potential shipping opportunities following the eventual breaking up of the summer ice.

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