Dame Stephanie Shirley CH delivers the inaugural Shirley Lecture – reflecting on her life, experiences and philanthropy
Thursday 13 May at 1pm
Join us for the inaugural Shirley Lecture for the UK Philanthropy Archive at the University of Kent.
We are delighted that our first Shirley Lecture will be delivered by Dame Stephanie Shirley CH – IT entrepreneur and philanthropist who has generously donated the papers of the Shirley Foundation to the University of Kent, supporting the establishment the UK Philanthropy Archive.
Dame Stephanie , who arrived in the UK as an unaccompanied child refugee on the Kindertransport, went on to found a hugely successful IT software company that specialised in employing women. Dame Stephanie used the wealth she achieved in business to give back to society through her charitable foundation – the Shirley Foundation, which granted more than £60 million to a variety of projects before spending out in 2018. The inspiration for much of her philanthropy has been technology, after her professional interests, and autism, after her son Giles who was diagnosed as profoundly autistic.
For the inaugural Shirley Lecture – Dame Stephanie will talk about her life and her experiences, her charitable interests and philanthropy.