Jason Shela receiving the MBE award from Prince William at Buckingham Palace on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

jason shela - Biography

Jason was born and raised in London, England. He won an international scholarship and graduated Magna Cum Laude in Business Administration from Baruch College, City University of New York. He then earned a Master’s Degree in International Relations from New York University. Jason received a Steven Spielberg Scholarship for international study at the Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland and a post graduate scholarship at Yale University. He became the first Englishman to be elected a Fellow at the Center for the Study of the Presidency in Washington D.C. Jason is a member of Phi Eta Sigma, Golden Key and Beta Gamma Sigma, the National Academic Honor Society for Business Administration in the United States.

Jason is an Adjunct Professor at Baruch College and lectures in Business Communications. He is a seasoned keynote & after-dinner speaker on a wide range of topics and immensely proud to serve as faculty advisor to the Finance & Economics Society & Private Equity Club at his Alma Mater. Jason has worked in finance in London & New York for ABN AMRO and later founded his own strategic advisory firm. He is an expert in the field of risk management and alternative asset management. He is the founder and senior partner of the Sports Advisory & Mentoring Group, based in London & New York. He published one of the first academic papers on the subject of weather risk mitigation and its impact on the global economy in the NYU Journal of Finance. He also wrote on Business & Finance for the Yomiuri Shimbun. He later founded his own strategic consulting company advising international clients such as the World Bank, Interpublic, middle market clients, start-ups and non-profits. His expertise is in organizational strategy, developing leaders and optimizing team efficiency and effectiveness. Jason is also an expert in educational curriculum development and policy and has advised students about college, graduate school and career selection and progression.

A committed youth sports educator for many years, Jason founded The British Soccer Academy and was voted PSAA High School Coach of the year by his peers and has led the Hunter Middle School Boys and Girls team to the NYC Public Schools City Championship & multiple Uptown City Championships. He also created The Soccer Goodwill Festival Program aimed at building links between players, their families and the wider community. He has developed transformative soccer programs for children and adults with physical and intellectual disabilities across the spectrum. He was honored by the MSAL with a lifetime achievement award for his many years of dedicated service and his programs have enriched the lives of thousands.



He served in the Royal Air Force Cadet Corps. Jason played competitive soccer for Wingate FC, and captained and coached New York Select, Combined Bank’s Select and represented the London Stock Exchange. He captained the Yale University Graduate Soccer team to victory over Harvard. He played rugby football in England for Wasps RFC, Fulham Rugby League FC and has represented Middlesex County, London and Great Britain. He has developed innovative Creative Performance & Radio Broadcasting programs and a Rock N Roll Creative Lab Program for Teenagers. Jason serves as youth programming director of The Joseph Skakun Project, a creative and educational non-profit dedicated to bringing history and culture alive through the performing arts. He co-founded the Inclusion Sports Program, a citywide athletic initiative aimed at providing athletic opportunity to Children with physical and intellectual disabilities. He was recently appointed Head Coach of the New York Schools Select Soccer Program. Jason co-founded the Youth Enrichment International Think Tank. He is recognized as a leader in social entrepreneurship and committed to developing socially responsible initiatives and life enrichment programs for people with disabilities within the framework of sports, music, theater & the arts. Jason was awarded the MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) from Queen Elizabeth II in the 2019 New Year’s Honors List for services to Youth Football Education and his work with children with special needs & disabilities. In 2022 he was elected a Fellow at the Royal Society for the Arts.