Finkelstein promoted to COO of Shopify

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One of the best-known tech startup executives in Canada has a new job.

Harley Finkelstein, chief platform officer with Ottawa-based retail software firm Shopify Inc., has been promoted to chief operating officer. In his new job (which encompasses his old responsibilities), Mr. Finkelstein is in charge of all interactions and communications with the 200,000-plus merchants who use Shopify's software platform for online and in-store operations, as well as external initiatives by the company. The change takes effect Tuesday.

"What this changes is that this is a really clear declaration that I am going to focus on my strengths, like product and technology and people systems, and Harley has the full confidence of me and the rest of the company" to handle other top-level responsibilities, chief executive officer and co-founder Tobi Lutke said in an interview.

Mr. Finkelstein said: "I'm doing my life's work with this company and I'm humbled I can work with the smartest dude I know … and allow him to focus on product, which is where we get the most value from him."

The peppy, fast-talking 32-year-old Montreal native is a lawyer and entrepreneur who started his first company at age 17 and moved to Ottawa for school. Mr. Finkelstein was one of the first merchants to use the Shopify platform to sell T-shirts online in the late 2000s. Mr. Finkelstein peppered Mr. Lutke early on with so much feedback about the platform and requests for discounts that the company offered to waive his monthly fee. Mr. Lutke eventually hired Mr. Finkelstein in 2010, at which point he took on the role of "a Swiss army knife, doing whatever I could to add value at the company," the new COO said. Shopify had less than 20 employees at the time; it now has more than 1,000 after going public last year.

Mr. Finkelstein has kept plenty busy of late, appearing as a "dragon" on the Dragon's Den spinoff, Next Gen Den, and serving as an adviser to two venture capital firms, OMERS Ventures and Felicis Ventures.

Asked whether the new job came with a raise, Mr. Finkelstein replied: "In responsibility? Yes. In compensation, no comment. This was never about the money for me."