Vistex Founder Sanjay Shah Gifts Lehigh University $5 Million for Creation of the Vistex Institute for Executive Learning and Research

Sanjay Shah ’89 MBA, alumnus, entrepreneur, and founder and CEO of Vistex, Inc., has committed a $5 million gift to elevate Executive Education at Lehigh University’s College of Business and Economics. This gift will name the new Vistex Institute for Executive Learning and Research and allow the university and the college to move forward with an ambitious plan to strengthen engagements with industry and business. Plans for a new state-of-the-art home for the institute are underway. In 1999, Shah founded the Chicago-based global software company Vistex, Inc., which has grown into a worldwide operation with 20 offices and 1,300 employees.

“Mr. Shah’s generous gift will enhance Lehigh’s ability to deliver high-quality executive education designed to strengthen the skills required of business and industry leaders today,” said John D. Simon, president of Lehigh University. “With this support, Mr. Shah is embodying the forward-thinking, impact-driven ethos of Lehigh graduates by utilizing his passion for the university and for lifelong education to support future leaders.”

For more than 100 years, Lehigh’s College of Business and Economics has been home to a thriving academic community, one that has launched the careers of students who are both critical thinkers and pioneers in industry. The college is led by Dean Georgette Chapman Phillips who joined Lehigh in 2014 and has led the effort to create and build a world-class executive education program at the university.

The Vistex Institute for Executive Learning and Research, under the direction of Executive Director David E. Welsh, will focus on having research serve as the core foundation for the content and teaching in each class. The research will tap into timely and relevant business trends to enhance the learning environment and provide pertinent experience for program participants.

Lehigh’s expanding list of executive education offerings includes certificate programs in applied leadership and management excellence, supply chain management, and executive project management. Other programs offered, where Lehigh has distinctive expertise, include entrepreneurship and marketing and, where Lehigh is expanding its footprint, health and healthcare management. In addition to sought-after certificate programs, the university offers companies the option to customize programming to fit their specific business needs — giving full access to all of Lehigh’s renowned faculty and expertise.

“As a lifelong learner and a business entrepreneur, I recognize that a strong executive education program is key to any prestigious university’s larger business school offering. I’m pleased to be able to contribute and support the need for a more tailored approach to learning for professionals through the creation of the Vistex Institute,” said Shah. “The Vistex Institute will incorporate research in a meaningful way throughout its programming, giving the institute a specific competitive advantage over other traditional executive education programs.”

In addition to the newly branded executive education program, the College of Business and Economics boasts nationally top-ranked undergraduate and part-time MBA programs, an innovative one-year MBA, an array of graduate degree programs, and a number of joint/dual MBA programs.

“We thank Mr. Shah for supporting the growth of Lehigh’s executive education programs,” said Phillips. “Our shared vision for the Vistex Institute for Executive Learning and Research is sure to make it a go-to resource for comprehensive educational solutions for managers and executives, while harnessing the practical and real-world approach to education, which is the hallmark of the College of Business and Economics at Lehigh.”

Lehigh’s collaborative and cross-disciplinary curriculum is enhanced by its research centers and institutes which provide students and faculty opportunities to work and research collaboratively on real-world, relevant business issues. These include the Center for Supply Chain Research; Dexter F. Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship, Creativity & Innovation; Center for Financial Services; Martindale Center for the Study of Private Enterprise; Murray H. Goodman Center for Real Estate Studies; and Small Business Development Center.

About Vistex

Vistex is a pioneer in helping global organizations better deploy their products and services through Go-to-Market programs. By powering business processes and supporting direct, indirect, and multi-tiered sales models, Vistex offers the foundation for aligning all market participants and enables superior decision-making. Deployed on-premise and in the cloud, with its leading-edge software and services, Vistex serves businesses of all sizes worldwide across a spectrum of industries. With an unwavering commitment to its clients, the world’s best run organizations choose Vistex to ensure Go-to-Market program success: from inception to insight.