Sonal Shah

About Sonal Shah

Sonal R. Shah (born May 20, 1968 in Mumbai, India) is an Indian American economist. She works for Google.org on its Global Development team; however, she has temporarily taken leave from her position to serve on the advisory board for president-elect Barack Obama's presidential transition team.

Born in Mumbai, India, Shah came to the United States in 1972 at the age of 4. She graduated from Alief Hastings High School and received a Bachelors of Arts degree in Economics in 1990 from the University of Chicago. She went on to receive her Master’s Degree from Duke University, also in Economics.

Shah joined Google.org in 2007 as the head of Global Development Initiatives. There she works closely with Executive Director Larry Brilliant, guiding global economic development efforts. She has also worked extensively on the growth of SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) in partnership with the Omidyar Network and the Soros Foundation.