OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Shopify Inc. (NYSE:SHOP)(TSX:SH) today announced that Harley Finkelstein has been named Chief Operating Officer. As Shopify’s first COO, Finkelstein will manage Corporate and Business Development, Sales, Shopify Plus, the Shopify Partner program, Shopify’s App Store, Merchant Support and all external and merchant-facing initiatives.
Finkelstein joined Shopify in 2010 to support business development and soon took on additional responsibilities. As Chief Platform Officer, Finkelstein built the Shopify Partner program, which has become a core competitive advantage for Shopify. Today, this rich ecosystem of app developers, theme designers, freelancers and agencies includes thousands of active partners that enhance Shopify’s platform and merchant base. Additionally, Finkelstein oversaw the creation and expansion of Shopify Plus to accommodate the needs of high-volume merchants such as Procter & Gamble, Tesla Motors and RedBull, all of which required a robust platform to support their large-scale businesses.
“Harley is a strong leader at the forefront of Shopify’s growth who will be taking on an even larger role in deepening our relationships with merchants, partners and the public,” said Shopify CEO, Tobi Lütke. “His relationship with Shopify dates back almost a decade as one of our first merchants, selling T-shirts while in law school. His entrepreneurial background gives him a natural understanding of our merchants and this perspective is invaluable to our business.”
“I joined Shopify at a very early stage because I was inspired by what Tobi had built, and by the idea that anyone, no matter how much money or experience they have, can build their own business using Shopify,” said Finkelstein. “I see my job as ensuring all our merchants and partners are well taken care of so the rest of the team, especially Tobi, can focus on making sure our product and technology is not only good for the 200,000+ merchants using us today, but the millions of merchants that we hope will use us one day. I’m excited to continue my journey with Shopify and to support the company’s ongoing evolution.”
Finkelstein holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Concordia University and a J.D./M.B.A. from the University of Ottawa. He currently serves on the board of The C100, and is an Advisor to Felicis Ventures and Omers Ventures.
About Shopify
Shopify is a leading cloud-based, multichannel
commerce platform designed for small and medium-sized businesses.
Merchants can use the software to design, set up and manage their stores
across multiple sales channels, including web, mobile, social media,
marketplaces, brick-and-mortar locations, and pop-up shops. The platform
also provides a merchant with a powerful back-office and a single view
of their business. The Shopify platform was engineered for reliability
and scale, using enterprise-level technology made available to
businesses of all sizes. Shopify currently powers over 200,000
businesses in approximately 150 countries, including: Tesla Motors,
Budweiser, Red Bull, LA Lakers, the New York Stock Exchange, GoldieBlox,
and many more.
