Stephen Lansdown, the founder of Bristol specialist financial firm Hargreaves Lansdown and former chairman of Bristol City FC, has been awarded an honorary degree by UWE Bristol.
Mr Lansdown will become a Doctor of Business Administration in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Bristol, especially his involvement with Bristol City, and his help and advice with UWE’s investment fund and investment committee, the university said.
The Honorary Degree was conferred at the awards ceremony of the Faculty of Business and Law today at Bristol Cathedral.
Stephen, who was born and raised in South Gloucestershire and attended Thornbury Grammar School, qualified as a chartered accountant in 1975 and specialised in taxation with Touche Ross & Co. He formed Hargreaves Lansdown with Peter Hargreaves in Peter’s bedroom in Clifton in 1981. At the time it consisted of Stephen, Peter and a part-time secretary.
After spectacular growth it floated on the London Stock Exchange in May 2007 and became a FTSE-100 company in 2011. Today Hargreaves Lansdown is a global financial company with 500,000 clients around the world and employs 650 staff at its flagship offices at Bristol Harbourside.
Stephen became involved in Bristol City Football Club in 1996, was appointed a director in 1997 and chairman in 2002. He stepped down from as chairman in May 2011 but remains the majority shareholder. Earlier this year he became the new owner of Bristol Rugby.
