Harley Finkelstein Explained

Harley Finkelstein
Birth Place:Montreal, Quebec
Alma Mater:McGill University, Concordia University, University of Ottawa
Occupation:President of Shopify[1]
Nationality:Canadian
Spouse:Lindsay Taub

Harley Finkelstein is a Canadian businessperson, entrepreneur and public speaker. He is best known as the president of Shopify.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] He is a board member of CBC,[7] and an advisor to both OMERS Ventures and Felicis Ventures.[8] He is also a Dragon on CBC Dragons' Den, Next Gen Den.[9]

Early life and education

Finkelstein was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.[10] [11] At 17, he founded a T-shirt company while attending McGill University.[3] He later transferred to Concordia University and received a bachelor's degree in economics.[11] Finkelstein then attended the University of Ottawa where he founded the JD/MBA Student Society and the Canadian MBA Oath while working towards his Juris Doctor and MBA.[12] [13]

Career

After completing his JD and MBA, Finkelstein worked at a law firm in Toronto for a year. In 2009, Finkelstein met with Tobias Lütke, the co-founder and CEO of Shopify, to discuss opportunities for the company,[10] and became one of the first merchants on Shopify.[14] Finkelstein was hired soon after and was named Shopify's Chief Platform Officer.[6] [15] In December 2014, Finkelstein was appointed a member of the C100 board.[12] The C100 is an organization that supports the Canadian technology community and is a bridge between Canada and Silicon Valley. Finkelstein serves as a mentor and advisor to various organizations and incubators including Felicis Ventures, FounderFuel, Invest Ottawa and CIPPIC.[8] [16] [17]

In January 2016, Finkelstein was named COO of Shopify.[2] That same year, he was inducted into the Order of Ottawa by Mayor Jim Watson.[18]

In December 2017, Finkelstein joined the board of directors for CBC.

In September 2020, Finkelstein was appointed Shopify President.[1]

Awards

Finkelstein was named Angel investor of the Year at the Canadian Startup Awards in March 2017.[19]

In 2017 Finkelstein was awarded Canada’s Top 40 Under 40.[20]

Personal life and philanthropy

Finkelstein is Jewish and is the grandson of Holocaust survivors. He is married to Lindsay Taub, who is also Jewish, and they have two daughters. The four of them live in Montreal. In 2018 it was announced that Finkelstein was donating $500,000 to establish the new Finkelstein Chabad Jewish Centre in the Sandy Hill neighbourhood of Ottawa. After attending the Chabad centre when he was a student at the University of Ottawa and realizing that there was not enough room to fit all the students who wished to attend events, he promised the Rabbi he would donate to pay him back for the generosity of his family in welcoming Jewish students in Ottawa.[21]

Finkelstein has spoken about, and uses the concept of Ikigai.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Shopify's Finkelstein becomes president, Lutke adds product officer role. ca.finance.yahoo.com. September 29, 2020.
  2. Web site: Finkelstein named Shopify chief operating officer. Ottawa Business Journal. January 13, 2016. January 18, 2016.
  3. Web site: Newsmaker of the Year: Shopify's Finkelstein brings hustle to Ottawa. December 17, 2013. March 13, 2015. Ottawa Business Journal.
  4. Web site: Ep #36: The Evolution of Online and Offline Retail with Harley Finkelstein of Shopify. March 14, 2014. March 13, 2015. eCommerce Fuel.
  5. Web site: Keynote Speeches from Jeff Lewis and Harley Finkelstein at Scion Motivate. April 17, 2013. March 13, 2015. Scion.
  6. Targeting Enterprise Commerce: Shopify Plus gives larger online sellers access to advanced, scalable storefronts. June 16, 2014. March 13, 2015. Adweek.
  7. Web site: Shopify's Harley Finkelstein joins CBC board of directors. Ottawa Business Journal. Craig. Lord.
  8. News: The future of retail is retail everywhere: Harley Finkelstein. July 28, 2014. March 13, 2015. Business Standard.
  9. Web site: Shopify's Harley Finkelstein on how to pitch 'Next Gen Den'. Sissi Wang. November 24, 2015. January 18, 2016. Canadian Business Journal.
  10. News: People to watch in 2014: Daniel Weinand and Harley Finkelstein. January 2, 2014. Tony Lofaro. March 13, 2015. Ottawa Citizen.
  11. News: Working It: Harley Finkelstein. October 3, 2013. March 13, 2015. Montreal Gazette.
  12. Web site: Harley Finkelstein Joins C100 Organizing Committee. December 1, 2014. March 13, 2015. C100.
  13. Web site: About the MBA Oath. March 13, 2015. University of Ottawa.
  14. Web site: Elliott . Bryan . May 26, 2021 . Behind the Brand With Harley Finkelstein .
  15. News: Buying the Bricks for Your Online Storefront. November 15, 2014. Jenna Wortham. March 13, 2015. New York Times.
  16. Web site: Interview with Shopify CPO Startupfest "break-out" session speaker Harley Finkelstein!. June 12, 2013. March 13, 2015. Startup Festival. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402165646/http://startupfestival.com/nouvelle/434-interview-with-shopify-cpo-startupfest-qbreak-outq-session-speaker-harley-finkelstein. April 2, 2015.
  17. News: Felicis Ventures Brings on More Founders to its Advisory Council With Shopify CPO. TechCrunch. Kim-Mai. Cutler. March 12, 2015. June 28, 2017.
  18. Web site: Mayor Watson Announces 2016 Order of Ottawa Inductees and Brian KilreaAward for Excellence in Coaching Recipient. City of Ottawa. November 10, 2016. May 6, 2017. March 16, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170316205814/http://ottawa.ca/en/news/mayor-watson-announces-2016-order-ottawa-inductees-and-brian-kilrea-award-excellence-coaching. dead.
  19. News: Hats Off to Canadian Startup Winners at Annual Awards. Financial Post. March 7, 2017. May 6, 2017.
  20. Web site: Canada's Top 40 Under 40 - Honourees 2017 . 2023-01-19 . canadastop40under40.com.
  21. News: Egan: Giving 2.0: Shopify boss donates $500K to create synagogue in Sandy Hill. November 15, 2018. Ottawa Citizen. November 18, 2018. en-US.

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