Dame Stephanie (Steve) Shirley set up her software company Freelance Programmers (later Xansa) in the 1960’s. At this time, women in Britain couldn't work on the stock exchange; couldn't drive a bus or fly an airplane and even couldn't open a bank account without their husband's permission. Steve pioneered the idea of women going back into the workforce after a career break, along with new, flexible work methods such as job shares and profit-sharing.