Bijal Shah

She Stepped Up During a Crisis — and Led Guild to Extraordinary Growth

Bijal Shah took the helm at Guild in 2023 under extraordinarily difficult circumstances: The beloved founder of the $4.4 billion education and upskilling startup, Rachel Romer, had suffered a stroke at age 34. Shah herself was out on parental leave after a difficult birth, but she came back to run the firm. An executive standout at Visa and cash-back rewards platform Ibotta, Shah was hired by Romer in 2018 and had worked her way up to Chief Experience Officer and Head of Platform. Since taking the lead, Shah has grown Guild’s customer base by 50%, forging new partnerships with Team USA and the LA28 Olympic Committee while continuing to expand into sectors like manufacturing and health care and extending existing partnerships with Walmart, Disney, and others. In 2024, more than 1.4 million employees received upskilling through Guild — and Shah has made sure her company is prepared for that momentum to increase in 2025 as automation and AI reshape the workforce.

By Audrey Goodson Kingo