Noble CEO Mit Shah Honored with Wake Forest University's Distinguished Alumni Award
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Distinguished Alumni Awards are conferred annually at a signature event that celebrates the achievements of the recipient. The 2024 Distinguished Alumni Awards dinner was held Friday, April 19 on Wake Forest's Reynolda Campus. The 2024 honoree was Mit Shah ('91).
About Mit Shah ('91)
Arriving at Wake Forest in 1987, Mit Shah competed as a walk-on for the Men's Tennis team. While a student, he was also an employee at Graylyn, gaining valuable experience while pursuing his academic degree in Economics and Sociology, a foundation he has utilized to achieve extraordinary professional success.
Shah, part owner of the NBA's Atlanta Hawks, credits Wake Forest with having a meaningful influence on his life. He said the University's longstanding promise to student and student-athlete development continues to inspire his support. He believes our basketball program brings our community together and provides invaluable exposure to Wake Forest, Winston Salem, Forsyth County, and the entire Piedmont Triad region.
He is the founder and CEO of Noble Investment Group, an award-winning real estate investment manager specializing in the travel and hospitality sector. Noble has made over $6 billion in hotel investments, creating thousands of jobs across America.
Shah has been profiled in Newsweek magazine as one of the most influential South Asians in the United States, named as one of Atlanta's most admired CEOs, and one of the 21st century's most influential hospitality and travel industry leaders. He was named Executive of the Year by Penn State University and was honored by the UJA Federation of New York in recognition of his professional and philanthropic achievements.
Those aforementioned achievements include numbers to his alma mater, one of which was announced earlier this year. The Shah family made this latest multimillion-dollar commitment in the spring of 2023 and authorized the University in January. That gift focused on intensifying Wake Forest's strategic pursuit of basketball excellence in a highly competitive landscape and provides head coach Steve Forbes and his staff a broader means to invest in Wake's student-athlete experience, sports performance, medicine and wellness, innovation, and advanced technology. Mit's commitment was designed to inspire the investments of many other loyal Deacon fans as a call to action for Wake Forest Basketball.
Previously, Mit Shah provided the lead investment for the $12 million Shah Basketball Complex and helped drive the creation of the Chris Paul Family Men's Basketball Clubhouse. The Shah Basketball Complex is renowned as one of America's foremost practice, training, and player development facilities, featuring 40,000 state-of-the-art square feet dedicated solely to Wake Forest Basketball.
Mit's gift that was announced in January also included the creation of the endowed "Shah Family Men's Basketball Scholarship," which will forever link the Shah Family with a player on the Men's Basketball team.
Shah is one of the founders and a member of the board of directors for Roll the Quad, which is a Proud Partner of Wake Forest Athletics. Visit www.RollTheQuad.com for more information.
Additionally, he is an active supporter of educational objectives and is serving his fifth term as a member of the Board of Trustees for Wake Forest University.