Dame Stephanie (Steve) Shirley CH is an ardent venture philanthropist with an unrelenting energy for creating positive change. She arrived in England as an unaccompanied child refugee at the start of the Second World War, and in 1962 started a software business from her dining table which grew to employ 8,500 people and was ultimately valued at almost $3 billion.

Motivated to share the rewards of her success with a society that had extended such generosity to her as a child, Dame Stephanie decided to give away her wealth. Now in her late 80s she is driven by a lifetime of extraordinary experiences and achievements, and still dedicates every day to making her life one that was worth saving.