Stephanie was born and raised in Singapore. She studied English at Cambridge University before going on to train on a scholarship at LAMDA.

Her theatre work has taken place on the country's main stages and internationally, predominantly in new writing. She's worked with directors such as Peter Gill, Daniel Evans, Rufus Norris, Max Stafford-Clark, Tamara Harvey, Mike Longhurst, Polly Findlay and Josie Rourke. Notable roles include Diana Ingram in Quiz, Marianne in Constellations at Singapore Repertory Theatre, Asha in Rufus Norris' stunning production of Behind the Beautiful Forevers and Abi in Nightwatchman, which earned her a nomination for Best Solo Performance at the 2012 whastonstage Awards. She's also worked extensively in television, playing regular and lead roles in series across BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky. As a playwright, Stephanie's first play, Sisters, re-opened the Sheffield Crucible Studio in 2010, to critical acclaim. Her adaptation of Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist was nominated for the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award and the Carol Tambour Best of Edinburgh Award. In 2017 Singapore International Festival of the Arts commissioned Stephanie to write Dragonflies, and in 2018 that play won Best New Script at the Straits Times Life! Awards. Stephanie writes a monthly column for The Stage, is the board lead on Inclusion and Diversity at Chichester Festival Theatre and co-founded ACT FOR CHANGE.