Niraj Shah

{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{short description|Businessman, CEO of Wayfair}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Niraj Shah

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date |43|2017|12|30}}

| birth_place =

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| nationality = American

| education = Cornell University (BE)

| occupation = Businessman

| known for = Co-founder, co-chairman & CEO, Wayfair

| boards = Wayfair

| spouse = Jill Shah

| children = 2

}}

Niraj S. Shah (born 1973/1974) is an American businessman, and co-founder, co-chairman, and CEO of online retailer Wayfair.

Early life

Shah grew up in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the son of immigrants from India.{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2017/03/10/five-things-you-should-know-about-niraj-shah/67NvrHdIVCnk2PaHHiGDwO/story.html |title=Five things you should know about Niraj Shah |first=Dierdre |last=Fernandes |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=March 10, 2017 |access-date=June 29, 2019}} His grandfather ran a "steel manufacturing business in India, making pots and pans". His father worked for General Electric as a mechanical engineer, and after his retirement, joined Wayfair early on, providing financial advice, and still works for the company.

Shah graduated from Cornell University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in engineering in 1995.{{cite web |title=Wayfair founders Niraj Shah and Steve Conine at Entrepreneurship Summit NYC 2013 |url=https://www.cornell.edu/video/wayfair-founders-niraj-shah-steve-conine-at-entrepreneurship-summit-nyc-2013 |website=Cornell University |date=December 11, 2013 |access-date=June 29, 2019}}

Career

Shah co-founded Wayfair in 2002 with his Cornell classmate, Steve Conine, and has been its CEO since its inception.{{cite web |title=Executive Profile: Niraj S. Shah |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=133593&privcapId=30663855 |website=Bloomberg LP |access-date=June 29, 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://www.cnbc.com/video/2017/08/08/wayfair-ceo-niraj-shah-weve-been-a-big-beneficiary-of-internet-disruption.html |title=Wayfair CEO Niraj Shah: We've been a big beneficiary of internet disruption |website=CNBC |date=August 8, 2017 |access-date=June 29, 2019}}

Shah was included in the Fortune list of "40 under 40" for 2013.{{cite web |url=http://fortune.com/40-under-40/2013/niraj-shah-32/ |title=Niraj Shah |date=May 9, 2014 |publisher=Fortune |access-date=June 29, 2019}}

Shah was a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston from 2017 to 2019.{{cite web |title=Former Board of Directors Members - Federal Reserve Bank of Boston |url=https://www.bostonfed.org/about-the-boston-fed/board-of-directors/former-members.aspx |website=Federal Reserve Bank of Boston |access-date=9 February 2024}}

In May 2017, Wayfair's share price rose above $70 per share, making Shah and his co-founder Steve Conine both billionaires. As of April 2022, his estimated net worth was $1.6 billion.{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/niraj-shah/|title=Forbes profile: Niraj Shah |work=Forbes |access-date=December 14, 2022}}

Philanthropy

Shah co-founded the Shah Family Foundation with his wife Jill in 2017, which supports education and healthcare programs.{{cite web |last1=Kim |first1=Larry |title=Get to Know Wayfair's Founder: 10 Facts About Niraj Shah |url=https://www.inc.com/larry-kim/get-to-know-wayfairs-founder-10-facts-about-niraj-shah.html |website=Inc.com |access-date=January 24, 2022 |language=en |date=June 25, 2019}}{{cite web |last1=Warnock |first1=Caroline |title=Niraj Shah: Wayfair CEO in Spotlight After Conspiracy Theory Goes Viral |url=https://heavy.com/news/2020/07/niraj-shah-wayfair/ |website=Heavy.com |access-date=January 24, 2022 |date=July 14, 2020}}

Personal life

Shah is married to Jill Shah; they have two children, and live in the Back Bay area of Boston. In 2013, Jill Shah sold her alternative medicine directory Jill's List, which employed 7 people, to California-based MINDBODY, and now runs their Boston office.{{cite web |url=http://archive.boston.com/business/technology/innoeco/2013/05/alternative_medicine_directory.html |title=Alternative medicine directory Jill's List acquired by California-based Mindbody |website=Boston.com |access-date=June 29, 2019}}{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2023-04-20 |title=Boston Magazine Names Four Indian-Americas Among 150 Most Influential Bostonians |url=https://indianewengland.com/boston-magazine-names-four-indian-americas-among-150-most-influential-bostonians/ |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=INDIA New England News |language=en}}

References

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