Appreciation Dame Stephanie ‘Steve’ Shirley CH

We’re very sad to hear the news that Dame Stephanie ‘Steve’ Shirley has died at the age of 91.

Her story is nothing short of remarkable – a testament to courage, innovation, and heartfelt purpose.

From her beginnings arriving in England as a six‑year‑old Kindertransport refugee, she transformed personal adversity into a lifelong drive to build something meaningful. She founded Freelance Programmers in 1962, a pioneering remote‑only software company staffed almost entirely by women, long before remote work became commonplace.

Remote working without Slack, the internet, email or modern communications demonstrated incredible foresight. (In fact, her only phone was a line shared with another office. (This was 1962!). She emphasized trust, values, and output‑focused culture over traditional office norms – a radical model still profoundly relevant today.

Shirley’s leadership was revolutionary. Her company took on projects of extraordinary significance, including developing the Concorde’s black‑box flight recorder, and grew into a global enterprise eventually valued at around $3 billion, making many of her early staff millionaires.

Dame Stephanie served on boards including Tandem Computers, Atomic Energy Authority, and John Lewis Partnership but it was beyond business, where her philanthropic impact was greatest. Motivated by her experiences as the mother of an autistic son, she invested vastly in autism research and support via the Shirley Foundation, leaving a legacy of meaningful giving.

Dame Steve embodied pioneering spirit: transforming hardship into opportunity, elevating women in tech long before it was popular, reshaping workplace culture with trust and flexibility, achieving extraordinary business success, and channeling her success into significant philanthropy.

Talking with her about her life, career and her extraordinary experiences has been a highlight of my time at Business of Software. Steve was badass and a lovely person to know. Rest in Peace.