Industry
Jay Shah
Chief Executive Officer
Jay H. Shah currently serves as Hersha Hospitality Trust’s (NYSE: HT) Chief
Executive Officer and as a member of its Board of Trustees. Mr. Shah is
involved in all areas of the business with a particular emphasis on investor
relations, capital transactions and acquisitions. Prior to joining the Hersha
organization, Mr. Shah was principal in the law firm of Shah & Byler, LLP, a
real estate and construction specialty practice, which he founded. Mr. Shah
was previously a consultant with Coopers & Lybrand LLP, a legislative
assistant to the late Senator John Heinz and worked with the Philadelphia
District Attorney’s Office.
Mr. Shah received a Bachelor of Science degree from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, a Law degree from the Temple University Beasley School of Law and an M.B.A. from the Fox School of Business at Temple University.
He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Lightwire, Inc. and Royal Bank America, is the Vice
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Please Touch Museum, the Philadelphia children’s museum
and a member of the Board of Directors of the Episcopal Academy. Mr. Shah is a member of the
International Chapter of the Young Presidents Organization and serves on the Executive Committee of
the Philadelphia Chapter. He is involved in numerous industry roundtables and panels and regularly
speaks at colleges and universities on the topics of real estate finance, entrepreneurship and family
business.
Jay was awarded the Hospitality Innovator Award by the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration
and also named to Philadelphia’s 40 Under 40.
Mr. Shah lives in the Main Line suburbs of Philadelphia with his wife Susie, a practicing physician, and his
twin 11 year-old daughter and son, Aryana and Avikar.