President
Shopify
Harley Finkelstein is an entrepreneur, lawyer, and the President of Shopify. He founded his first company at age 17 while a student at McGill. Harley completed his law degree as well as his MBA at the University of Ottawa, where he co-founded the JD/MBA Student Society and the Canadian MBA Oath. Harley is an Advisor to Felicis Ventures, and one of the “Dragons” on CBC’s Next Gen Den. He received the Canadian Angel Investor of the Year Award, Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 Award, Fortune’s 40 Under 40, and was inducted into the Order of Ottawa. From 2014 to 2017 Harley was on the Board of Directors of the C100, and from 2017 to 2020 he was on to the Board of Directors of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). He is currently on the Board of Operation Hope, a non-profit providing financial literacy empowerment and economic education. Harley starred on Discovery Channel’s I Quit, and recently co-founded Firebelly, a modern high-end tea brand.
Monday Jan 12
2:30pm - 3:00pm
Vusion Theatre
In an era where commerce and culture are inseparable, three modern icons take the stage to unpack what it takes to build a legendary, lasting brand. No script, no talking points - just real talk.
Emma Grede (Founder, Serial Entrepreneur, and Host of Aspire with Emma Grede Podcast), Ben Francis (Founder of Gymshark), and Harley Finkelstein (President of Shopify) discuss what it takes to create a generational brand in the 21st century.
From product drops that dominate culture to brands that define categories, they’ll share the lessons, missteps, and mindset behind building brands that defy convention and scale with purpose.
