IRVINE, CA—Auction.com has hired Sharmila Patel as senior vice president of commercial real estate finance and operations. In this newly-created position, Patel will focus on maintaining optimal alignment between the strategic and operational sides of the company's business as it continues to grow. She brings more than two decades of financial leadership and executive experience working in various industries, including financial services, healthcare, and technology with companies including Inform Media and Yahoo!.

“Sharmila is a well-versed technology finance and operations professional who brings valued experience working effectively with cross-functional groups,” said Gordon Smith, general manager of Auction.com's commercial real estate division. “We are very pleased to have her on board as her presence on a multitude of Auction.com operational teams will provide the type of leadership necessary to pace our business for continued success.”
“In Auction.com I see a company that is uniquely positioned to make a significant impact in the commercial real estate marketplace,” Patel said. “Seeing the potential that a trend-setting company like Auction.com can have on the commercial real estate industry is exciting and I wanted to be a part of that growth and success.”
Patel joins Auction.com from Inform Media Group, a division of IAC, the company behind Ask.com, About.com, Dictionary.com and others. At Inform Media Group, she was senior vice president of finance, serving as the strategic finance partner to the CEO in addition to working as liaison to the CEOs and finance partners of Inform Media's portfolio of companies. Previously, Patel was chief financial officer and treasurer at online marketing platform Reply! where she was a strategic partner to the CEO and board of directors, developing operational planning, forecasts and budgets. She also spent three years as vice president of global technology finance at Yahoo! where she developed long-term financial planning and forecasting.