Steve Shirley

Steve Shirley was a leader in computer work.

She grew up in a hard time. She had to travel to a new land. This helped her stay strong.

Steve loved math. She built computers from scratch. She even wrote the code for them.

She started a company for women. Many workers worked from home. This helped them care for their families.

She gave much of her money away. She helped people with autism. She wanted to help the world.

Dame Stephanie Shirley was a leader in computer science. She was born in Germany. When she was five, she moved to Britain as a child refugee. This was part of a group called the Kindertransport. These children traveled to find safety.

Stephanie loved math. She worked at a research station in the 1950s. There, she built computers from scratch. She also wrote code, which is the set of instructions for a computer. In 1962, she started her own company. She called it Freelance Programmers.

She wanted to help women. Many of her workers were mothers. They worked from home or worked part-time. This helped them care for their families. She even used the name "Steve" to help her in business.

Later in life, she became a philanthropist. A philanthropist is someone who gives money to help others. She gave away more than £67 million. Much of this money went to help people with autism. Her son, Giles, had autism. She wanted to fund medical research to help. She also gave her art collection to charities. She died in 2025 at age 91.

Dame Stephanie Shirley was a pioneer in the world of information technology. She was born Vera Buchthal in Germany in 1933. Her life changed greatly when she was only five years old. She and her sister traveled to Britain as part of the Kindertransport. This was a way to move child refugees to safety. Shirley said these early hard times helped her handle change later in life. She eventually became a British citizen and changed her name to Stephanie Brook.

Shirley had a deep love for mathematics. In the 1950s, she worked at a research station in Dollis Hill. There, she built computers from scratch. She also wrote code using machine language. Machine language is a very basic way to give instructions to a computer. She even took evening classes for six years to earn her math degree. In 1959, she moved to a company called CDL Ltd. This company designed the ICT 1301 computer.

In 1962, Shirley started her own software company. She named it Freelance Programmers. She used only £6 of her own money to start it. Shirley wanted to help women who had families to care for. Because of this, she hired mostly women. Most of her staff worked part-time or from home. She even used the name "Steve" to help her in business. Many people would not answer letters signed by a woman. Her team even helped program the black box for Concorde planes.

Later in her life, Shirley became a philanthropist. A philanthropist is a person who gives a lot of money to help others. She gave away more than £67 million of her wealth. Much of this money went to help people with autism. Her son, Giles, was autistic, so she understood this need well. She set up the Shirley Foundation in 1986. This group funded many important medical research projects. One project was a large online conference for autism.

Shirley received many honors for her great work. She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. This is a high honor in the United Kingdom. She was also the first female President of the British Computer Society. Many universities gave her honorary doctorates to celebrate her life. In 2021, a statue was put up in Harwich to remember the Kindertransport. Shirley passed away in August 2025 at the age of 91. Her legacy lives on through the many people she helped.

Dame Stephanie Shirley was a pioneering figure in the field of information technology. She was a businesswoman, a philanthropist, and a leader in the computing industry. Her life was defined by overcoming significant obstacles to create new opportunities for others. Born Vera Buchthal in Germany in 1933, she faced early hardship due to the rise of the Nazi regime. Her father, a Jewish judge in Dortmund, lost his position because of his heritage. In July 1939, at only five years old, Shirley and her sister Renate traveled to Britain as Kindertransport child refugees. This journey was a way to move children to safety during the war. Shirley later said these early experiences gave her the strength to handle change throughout her long career.

Shirley’s path to becoming a computer expert was not easy. After attending school in Oswestry, she sought work in technical environments. Mathematics was not taught at her school, so she had to get special permission to take lessons at a local boys' school. In the 1950s, she worked at the Post Office Research Station at Dollis Hill. There, she built computers from scratch and wrote code in machine language. Machine language is the most basic level of programming used to communicate with hardware. To strengthen her skills, she attended evening classes for six years to earn an honours degree in mathematics. By 1959, she was working at CDL Ltd, a company that designed the ICT 1301 computer.

In 1959, Shirley founded her own software company called Freelance Programmers. She started the business with just £6 of capital. Because she experienced sexism in the workplace, she designed the company to support women. She wanted to provide jobs for women who had dependents, such as children. For much of the company's early history, she employed predominantly women. In fact, there were only three male programmers among the first 300 staff members. This practice continued until the Sex Discrimination Act of 1975 made such hiring policies illegal. To navigate the male-dominated business world, she even adopted the name "Steve." She did this because business letters signed with her real name often went unanswered.

Freelance Programmers was also a very innovative company in how it operated. Shirley believed the business should also be a social endeavor. She allowed her employees to work part-time and from home. This helped them balance their professional work with family responsibilities. The technical work her team performed was highly advanced and important. One notable project involved programming the black box flight recorder for the Concorde supersonic jet. This device is essential for recording flight data during a journey. Her success in software helped pave the way for many women in the technology sector.

After retiring from her business career in 1993 at age 60, Shirley turned her focus to philanthropy. A philanthropist is someone who uses their wealth to support charitable causes. She established the Shirley Foundation in 1986 to support medical research. Her primary focus was on autism spectrum disorders. This passion was deeply personal because her son, Giles, was autistic. Shirley donated more than £67 million of her personal wealth to various projects. Her foundation supported many important initiatives, such as Autism at Kingwood and Prior's Court. She even helped fund Autism99, the first online autism conference, which reached 165,000 people from 33 different countries.

Shirley's contributions earned her many prestigious honors and awards. She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2000. This title recognized her massive services to information technology. She was also a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in 2017. Shirley broke many barriers in professional organizations as well. She served as the first female President of the chartered British Computer Society from 1989 to 1990. She also received honorary doctorates from many institutions, including the University of Cambridge and the University of Kent. In 2014, the Science Council named her one of the top 100 practising scientists in the UK.

Today, the legacy of Dame Stephanie Shirley is preserved through many different ways. In 2018, her foundation's funds were transitioned to support the charity Autistica. Her personal records and the records of her foundation are kept in the UK Philanthropy Archive at the University of Kent. This archive helps researchers understand the impact of giving. There are also physical memorials to her life and the Kindertransport. A statue stands on Harwich Quay in Essex to remember the children who arrived by boat. A blue plaque in Oswestry also commemorates her school years. Shirley passed away on August 9, 2025, at the age of 91, leaving behind a world changed by her technology and her generosity.