Dame Stephanie "Steve" Shirley, DBE, FRA, FREng, FRSA is a British businesswoman and philanthropist. She originally arrived in Britain as an unaccompanied child refugee. She was placed with foster parents and although was later re-united with her parents, "never really bonded with them". In 1962, Dame Steve founded the software company, F.I. Group, and was concerned with creating work opportunities for women with dependents.

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  • Dame Stephanie "Steve" Shirley, DBE, FRA, FREng, FRSA is a British businesswoman and philanthropist. She originally arrived in Britain as an unaccompanied child refugee. She was placed with foster parents and although was later re-united with her parents, "never really bonded with them". In 1962, Dame Steve founded the software company, F.I. Group, and was concerned with creating work opportunities for women with dependents. Indeed until the introduction of the Equal Opportunities Act in 1975, F.I. only employed women. She adopted the name "Steve" to help her in the male-dominated business world. She officially retired at the age of 60 in 1993 and has taken up philanthropy since then. Shirley was awarded an OBE for services to industry in 1980 and was made Dame Commander (DBE) in 2000. In 1987, she gained the Freedom of the City of London. She was President of the British Computer Society from 1989 to 1990. In 1985, she was awarded a Recognition of Information Technology Award (RITA). In 1999 she received the Mountbatten Medal. She has donated much (£50m) of her £150m wealth (from the internal sale and later the flotation of F.I. Group) to charity during her retirement.. Beneficiaries include the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists and the Oxford Internet Institute, part of the University of Oxford, through the Shirley Foundation. Her late son Giles (b. 1963 - d. 1998) was autistic and she became an early member of the National Autism Society. This special interest has led her to instigate and fund research in this field, for example, through the Autism Research Centre led by Prof. Simon Baron-Cohen. In 2003 Dame Steve received the prestigious Beacon Fellowship Prize for her contribution to countering autism and for her pioneering work in harnessing information technology for the public good. She was elected Vice-Chair of the Fellowship by the other prize winners. She addresses many conferences and lectures around the world and is in frequent contact with parents, carers and those with autism and the related Asperger's Syndrome. In July 2008 Dame Steve gave a biographical talk about her life and her ideals which is available online from Gresham College titled 'Give and Take'. On April 25, 2009 at the presentation of graduates ceremony at the Globe in Brighton, the Open University conferred on Dame Shirley an honarary doctorate. In May 2009, Dame Stephanie became Britain's Ambassador for Philanthropy, an appointment of the Cabinet's Office of the Third Sector, and will serve until the end of April 2010. Her theme beyond being an advocate for giving, will be to give philanthropists a 'voice'.
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  • Steve Shirley following Enterprise Tuesday presentation at Cambridge University (Feb 2009)
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  • Steve Shirley (baseball)
  • the professional baseball player
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  • Philanthropy and founding the IT company,F.I.Group(now Xansa)
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  • Dame Steve Shirley
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  • F.I.Group (Xansa), Chairperson Autism Speaks, Shirley Foundation
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  • Dame Stephanie "Steve" Shirley, DBE, FRA, FREng, FRSA is a British businesswoman and philanthropist. She originally arrived in Britain as an unaccompanied child refugee. She was placed with foster parents and although was later re-united with her parents, "never really bonded with them". In 1962, Dame Steve founded the software company, F.I. Group, and was concerned with creating work opportunities for women with dependents.
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  • Steve Shirley
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