In Memoriam: Dame Stephanie Shirley

We are deeply saddened by the news of the death of Dame Stephanie “Steve” Shirley, our founding Patron and Emeritus Co-chair. A true tech pioneer decades ahead of her time, Dame Stephanie founded Freelance Programmers in 1962, later known as F International (FI). At a time when women were almost invisible in the industry, she built a multi-million-pound software business staffed mainly by women, pioneering remote and flexible working long before it was the norm. Among FI’s many achievements was writing the black box flight recorder software for Concorde. A relentless champion of women in tech, not only did she open doors, she did her best to wedge them open for those who followed in her footsteps. Through the Shirley Foundation, Steve gave away most of her personal fortune to causes including autism research, the arts, and computing heritage. We’re proud that she chose to adopt The Sony Award for Women in Technology, with Nature, as one of her causes; her kindness, insight and enthusiasm will be greatly missed.