Who was Stephen Chamberlain? VP finance for Autonomy & tech tycoon who died in car crash days before Bayesian yacht sank

BUSINESSMAN Stephen Chamberlain was killed in a tragic accident while he was out running near his home.

It came just a day before his old boss went missing when a superyacht capsized off the coast of Sicily.

Cambridgeshire Police / PA

Who was Stephen Chamberlain?

Stephen Chamberlain was a 52-year-old businessman from Cambridgeshire.

He went to university in Birmingham in the early 1990s, where he studied Mechanical Engineering, Manufacture and Management.

After graduating, Chamberlain moved into the world of finance, securing a role with accounting firm BDO as an Audit Senior.

He then spent six years with Deloitte as a Senior Audit Manager.

A few years later Chamberlain became involved with the software company Autonomy alongside tech billionaire Mike Lynch .

He was the firm’s Vice President of Finance, where he saw through the sale to Hewlett Packard.

Chamberlain was later cleared of several fraud charges relating to the sale.

The businessman also had several roles in the running of a number of football clubs.

He was the treasurer of Cambridgeshire County League side Hardwick FC for over 14 years, and previously spent two years as the Finance Director of Cambridge United .

How did Stephen Chamberlain die?

Stephen died after being hit by a car in Cambridgeshire on August 17, 2024.

He had been out running at the time of the collision.

He was airlifted to hospital for urgent treatment, but his life support was switched off the following day.

In a statement released by Cambridgeshire police, his family said: “Steve was a much-loved husband, father, son, brother and friend.

“He was an amazing individual whose only goal in life was to help others in any way possible.

“He made a lasting impression on everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.

“He will be deeply missed but forever in the hearts of his loved ones.”

PA

When were Stephen Chamberlain and Mike Lynch involved in US fraud case?

Chamberlain was the former Vice President of Finance of software giant Autonomy, and had faced the same US charges of fraud and conspiracy as his former boss Mike Lynch.

It was alleged that they schemed to inflate the company’s value before it was sold to Hewlett Packard.

Both were acquitted of all charges by a jury in San Francisco in June 2024.

The news of Chamberlain’s death same on the same day as the yacht that Lynch was on board sank in a freak tornado .

Lynch, 59, is one of six people missing after the tragedy off the coast of Sicily.

The £14million luxury vessel capsized and sank more than 160ft when extreme weather battered the port of Porticello in Sicily.

Extreme winds and rain led to swirling twister-like columns of air, called waterspouts, to attack the 184ft superyacht.