Tej Shah’s career has taken him from tech wunderkind to the C-Suite at one of the promotional products industry’s largest distributors.

Now, he’s embarking on the newest venture in that exciting journey, having just been promoted to executive vice president/head of global sales and marketing at Top 40 distributor Overture Promotions (asi/288473). He was previously vice president of e-commerce and marketing at the Waukegan, IL-based firm.

Tej Shah, Overture Promotions

“Tej is whip-smart, creative, fearless, tech-savvy and a consummate sales leader,” said Overture CEO Jo Gilley. “He has been a significant driver of Overture’s organic growth over the past 11 years, and notably created our Blue Soda Promo e-commerce platform and inbound sales team. This new role gives him a broader platform for applying his considerable skills and gifts for our continued growth.”

In his new role, Shah will work with Overture’s sales teams to grow business, and will be responsible for new business development and brand awareness. As Overture makes acquisitions, he will be responsible for integrating sales teams and leading a growth-oriented global sales organization, the company said.

Shah started at Overture in 2010 as director of e-commerce, before rising two years later to the vice president of e-commerce and marketing role. He’d already experienced considerable success in his young career before joining Overture. That includes engaging in a high-profile and successful entrepreneurial adventure many spend a lifetime pursuing while he was still in his early 20s.

Nominated for BusinessWeek’s Top 25 Under 25, Shah was featured in esteemed media outlets that ranged from The Wall Street Journal to The New York Times. The accolades were the result of a groundbreaking web venture Shah co-founded – WeRemember. The online database stored important information about the location of individuals’ insurance policies, bank accounts, investments and safe deposits, providing peace of mind that people’s beneficiaries would be able to collect. The site garnered widespread interest, and eventually Shah and his partner sold the technology to a large insurance company.

Based on 2020 North American promotional product revenue of $126.9 million, Overture Promotions ranked 18^th on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest distributors in the industry.

Last year, an investment group led by Lou Weisbach, a high-profile figure in the promotional products industry for decades, acquired Overture Promotions. Westbridge Capital, a minority-led Canadian private equity firm, funded the acquisition. Weisbach and his business partners Mark Serdar and Michael Nemlich, along with Westbridge Capital, are the owners of Overture.