Former Lyft and Google executive joins to lead global people and culture strategy on the heels of the company surpassing $500 million in annual recurring revenue
New York, United States, November 2025 — AlphaSense, the AI platform redefining market intelligence for the business and financial world, today announced that Nilka Thomas has joined the company as Chief People Officer, following a period of record growth in which AlphaSense surpassed $500 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR).
Thomas will oversee AlphaSense’s global people strategy, including talent acquisition, culture, organizational development, employee experience and inclusion, as the company continues to expand its global footprint and scale its AI and market intelligence platform. She brings more than two decades of experience building and leading high-performance, inclusive organizations at some of the world’s most innovative technology companies.
Most notably, Thomas served as Chief People Officer at Lyft through their IPO and journey as a newly-public company, where she led all aspects of the company’s people function during a period of transformation and growth. Before Lyft, she spent more than a decade at Google, where she held senior HR and talent leadership roles focused on global staffing, culture, and inclusion initiatives.
“Nilka brings a rare combination of strategic vision, empathy, and hands-on experience leading global people organizations through high growth and scale,” said Jack Kokko, Founder and CEO of AlphaSense. “Her background at Lyft and Google gives her deep perspective on how innovative cultures are built – and sustained – through times of rapid growth and transformation. As AlphaSense enters our next chapter of expansion, her leadership will be instrumental in developing the talent, systems, and culture that fuel continued innovation. I’m confident she will help us build an organization where every employee can thrive and where our people strategy remains a true competitive advantage.”
“I’m passionate about building high performing people-first organizations that unlock both individual and business potential,” said Thomas. “AlphaSense’s mission to empower professionals across the business world with the insights they need to make better decisions deeply resonates with me. As the company continues to scale and surpass new milestones, we have the opportunity to shape a world-class team that reflects the vast breadth of customers and the markets we serve. I’m excited to help build an environment where world-class innovation and growth go hand in hand – and to demonstrate how a strong culture and cutting-edge AI can together redefine how people experience work.”
Thomas will report directly to Founder and CEO Jack Kokko and lead the company’s global people organization across North America, EMEA, and APAC.
AlphaSense is the AI platform redefining market intelligence and workflow orchestration, trusted by thousands of leading organizations to drive faster, more confident decisions in business and finance. The platform combines domain specific AI with a vast content universe of over 500 million premium business documents – including equity research, earnings calls, expert interviews, filings, news, and internal proprietary content. Purpose-built for speed, accuracy, and enterprise-grade security, AlphaSense helps teams extract critical insights, uncover market-moving trends, and automate complex workflows with high quality outputs. With AI solutions like Generative Search, Generative Grid, and Deep Research, AlphaSense delivers the clarity and depth professionals need to navigate complexity and obtain accurate, real-time information quickly.
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