At just 5 years old Stephanie Shirley was put on a Kindertransport rescue train with her sister and sent to England. Born in Germany in 1933, the rise of Hitler meant it was no longer safe for her and her Jewish family. 5 years old and moving to a different country. Different language. Different home. Different parents. Different everything.
Yet she knew she was one of the lucky ones. Lucky to be alive. And from an early age Shirley used that as her drive, her motivator when things got tough. In her words, she was going to lead a life worth saving.
Shirley had a passion for mathematics but fell in love with computing when she joined a small computing company in her early career. What she didn’t love however was the patronisation she faced as a woman in the workplace. She had enough of the sexism and decided to set up her own family-friendly, flexible organisation that would support women. Despite early hurdles and even having to sign letters under a masculine name, “Steve”, to make sales, Shirley’s company grew and grew… From an initial investment of just £6 she created a multi-billion pound technology company that pioneered remote working and transformed the perception of women in business.
Outside her professional life, Shirley was also navigating the challenges of raising an autistic son. He inspired her to set up a charity focussed on helping others with autism and it is one of her proudest achievements. She has now given away most of her wealth to this and the IT charities she founded.
Shirley emphasises the importance of diversity in role models to show us what is possible, what we can achieve. She continues to inspire others to pursue their passions and make a difference.
“My advice to a young person today is really to focus on something that they are interested in, to make an impact on the world.”
