Harley_Finkelstein

Harley Finkelstein

Harley Finkelstein

Canadian entrepreneur and public speaker

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]

Quick Facts Born, Nationality ...

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.[7]

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 New Edinburgh.[21] 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.[22]

Finkelstein has spoken about, and uses the concept of Ikigai.[14]

References

  1. [1]
    "Shopify's Finkelstein becomes president, Lutke adds product officer role". ca.finance.yahoo.com. September 29, 2020.
  2. [2]
    "Finkelstein named Shopify chief operating officer". Ottawa Business Journal. January 13, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  3. [3]
    "Newsmaker of the Year: Shopify's Finkelstein brings hustle to Ottawa". Ottawa Business Journal. December 17, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  4. [4]
    "Ep #36: The Evolution of Online and Offline Retail with Harley Finkelstein of Shopify". eCommerce Fuel. March 14, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  5. [5]
    "Keynote Speeches from Jeff Lewis and Harley Finkelstein at Scion Motivate". Scion. April 17, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  6. [6]
    "Targeting Enterprise Commerce: Shopify Plus gives larger online sellers access to advanced, scalable storefronts". Adweek. June 16, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  7. [7]
    Lord, Craig. "Shopify's Harley Finkelstein joins CBC board of directors". Ottawa Business Journal.
  8. [8]
    "The future of retail is retail everywhere: Harley Finkelstein". Business Standard. July 28, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  9. [9]
    Sissi Wang (November 24, 2015). "Shopify's Harley Finkelstein on how to pitch 'Next Gen Den'". Canadian Business Journal. Retrieved January 18, 2016.
  10. [10]
    Tony Lofaro (January 2, 2014). "People to watch in 2014: Daniel Weinand and Harley Finkelstein". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  11. [11]
    "Working It: Harley Finkelstein". Montreal Gazette. October 3, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  12. [12]
    "Harley Finkelstein Joins C100 Organizing Committee". C100. December 1, 2014. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  13. [13]
    "About the MBA Oath". University of Ottawa. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  14. [14]
    Elliott, Bryan (May 26, 2021). "Behind the Brand With Harley Finkelstein".
  15. [15]
    Jenna Wortham (November 15, 2014). "Buying the Bricks for Your Online Storefront". New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  16. [16]
    "Interview with Shopify CPO Startupfest "break-out" session speaker Harley Finkelstein!". Startup Festival. June 12, 2013. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  17. [17]
    Cutler, Kim-Mai (March 12, 2015). "Felicis Ventures Brings on More Founders to its Advisory Council With Shopify CPO". TechCrunch. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
  18. [18]
    "Mayor Watson Announces 2016 Order of Ottawa Inductees and Brian KilreaAward for Excellence in Coaching Recipient". City of Ottawa. November 10, 2016. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  19. [19]
    "Hats Off to Canadian Startup Winners at Annual Awards". Financial Post. March 7, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  20. [20]
    "Canada's Top 40 Under 40 - Honourees 2017". canadastop40under40.com. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  21. [21]
    "Finkelstein family donates $500K to help open downtown Jewish centre | Ottawa Business Journal". obj.ca. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  22. [22]
    "Egan: Giving 2.0: Shopify boss donates $500K to create synagogue in Sandy Hill". Ottawa Citizen. November 15, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
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