Joanna Shields, Baroness Shields
Joanna Shields, Baroness Shields | |
|---|---|
| Born | Joanna Shields July 12, 1962 St. Marys, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Business executive, politician |
| Years active | 1989–present |
| Known for | Minister for Internet Safety and Security, CEO of Bebo, Group CEO of BenevolentAI |
| Notable work | Founder of WeProtect initiative |
Joanna Shields, Baroness Shields, born on 12 July 1962, is a business executive and politician with dual American and British citizenship. She was appointed a Life Peer in the House of Lords in 2014 and held the position of Minister for Internet Safety and Security during the administrations of Prime Ministers David Cameron and Theresa May. Additionally, Shields served as an Advisor on the Digital Economy to David Cameron.
Early life and education
Born in 1962 in St. Marys, Pennsylvania, Shields is the second child among five siblings. She completed a Bachelor of Science degree at Penn State University in 1984, followed by an MBA from George Washington University. Her professional journey began in Washington, D.C., before she transitioned to working in Silicon Valley.
Career history
Shields started her career at Electronics for Imaging (Efi) in 1989 as a product manager and advanced to Vice President of Production Systems. In 1997, she assumed the role of CEO at Veon, which she later sold to Phillips. Subsequently, she relocated to London to lead RealNetworks EMEA and was appointed director of EMEA Syndication & Partnerships at Google.
In late 2006, Benchmark Capital hired Shields as CEO of the social networking company Bebo. During her tenure, she introduced Open Media, enabling media firms to engage Bebo's 50 million users and generate revenue from content. She also launched Bebo Originals, featuring productions such as the BAFTA-nominated KateModern. In 2014, she established WeProtect, an initiative dedicated to tackling online child sexual exploitation.
Following Bebo’s $850 million acquisition by AOL in 2008, Shields moved to New York to lead AOL's People Networks division, overseeing AIM (AOL Instant Messenger) and ICQ. Under her guidance, Bebo released Timeline in 2009—the first social networking feature to chronologically organize life events—a concept Facebook adopted in 2012.
In 2009, Shields was invited by former Google colleague Sheryl Sandberg to become Vice President and managing director for Facebook’s Europe, Middle East & Africa operations.
In May 2018, Shields took on the role of Group CEO at BenevolentAI, a London-based startup specializing in medical technology. She resigned from this position in September 2023.
Government work
In October 2012, Shields was appointed as the UK's Ambassador for Digital Industries. From January 2013 until May 2015, she served as Chair and CEO of Tech City, where she played a key role in launching Future Fifty—a programme initiated by Chancellor George Osborne in April 2013 aimed at supporting rapidly expanding technology firms.
Shields received an OBE in the 2014 New Year Honours for her contributions to digital industries and voluntary work with young people. In August 2014, she was nominated as a working peeress and subsequently elevated to the peerage on 16 September 2014 with the title Baroness Shields, of Maida Vale in the City of Westminster.
In May 2015, Prime Minister David Cameron appointed Shields as Minister for Internet Safety and Security, where she served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. She was reappointed by Theresa May in July 2016 and continued her ministerial duties within the Home Office until June 2017.
In December 2016, Shields was designated as the Prime Minister's Special Representative on Internet Crime and Harms, focusing on efforts against online child sexual abuse, exploitation, and extremist material. She maintained this role until February 2018.
Personal life
She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Penn State University, where she was a member of the Chi Omega sorority, and later pursued an MBA at George Washington University. Shields is married to Andy Stevenson, who serves as the Sporting Director for the Aston Martin in Formula One team.
Honours and awards
- Life Baroness
- Officer of the Order of the British Empire
- Honorary Doctorate in Public Service awarded by George Washington University in 2016
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1962 births
- Living people
- People from St. Marys, Pennsylvania
- George Washington University School of Business alumni
- Pennsylvania State University alumni
- Facebook employees
- American technology chief executives
- American women chief executives
- AOL employees
- Google employees
- American emigrants to England
- British women chief executives
- Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
- British technology chief executives
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II
- Life peers created by Elizabeth II
- Conservative Party (UK) life peers
- National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children people
- 21st-century British women politicians