Oral History of Dame Stephanie Shirley

Dame Stephanie (Steve) Shirley is one of Britains most celebrated IT pioneers, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists. In 1962, she founded a contract programming company exclusively for women, seeing untapped potential in the large numbers of educated women who had left work in order to raise children at home. Shirleys company grew rapidly and had a successful IPO in 1996. Since retiring, Shirley has spent her time supporting various IT-related causes and, most recently, organizations researching and providing services to those with autism. This edited interview is based on an oral history conducted by Marie Hicks, professor of history at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, on behalf of the Computer History Museum. The original transcript may be accessed here: www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102738707.