Dr. Ed Harrison is a retired IBM Executive.
He was born and bred in St. Anthony’s estate in Newcastle, and played for Newcastle schoolboys and joined Newcastle United as a 15 year-old schoolboy in 1960, and stayed for a couple of years.
Ed graduated with a BSc honors degree in Electrical Engineering from King’s College, London University in 1966, and was awarded a PhD in Computer Science from Newcastle University in 1971, and his research was in computer graphics and mathematics.
While at Newcastle University he played for the successful University football side and was selected for English Universities from 1967 through 1969, when he suffered a double fracture of his left leg while playing against the England Amateur side at Hillsborough Stadium.
He joined IBM in 1970 and was moved to America in 1973 with his new wife Madeline – formerly Madeline Carol Rose – who is a Geordie and also born at St. Mary’s Hospital.
Ed worked in systems architecture and design at IBM for 22 years, before moving into Network Consulting in 1992, as part of IBM’s newly formed Consulting Group.
And a few years later he entered the executive ranks of the American company and ended up as the Managing Principal and Director of the Network Practice for IBM Americas – a $2B business – before he finally retired in 2004, after 34 years of service with the company.
Ed and Madeline have theee children, twin sons Neil and Paul and daughter Elaine, and have been married for 40 years – and they said it wouldn’t last!