Shirley is an acclaimed human resources practitioner who has held senior positions in the corporate and public sectors. She holds a doctorate from Harvard University and was formerly the head of human resources at Woolworths Holdings, Standard Bank South Africa, Nedbank Group and the South African Revenue Service. She currently provides consulting and advisory services in human resources, transformation, leadership and education. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Cape Town’s Faculty of Economics and Management Studies. Shirley serves on the boards of Sanlam, MTN South Africa, Afrocentric and AdvTech.