Nilka Thomas

Nilka Thomas has 20 years of progressive experience in strategic HR leadership and key talent acquisition roles in various industries, private and public companies, and international organizations. Prior to returning to Lyft in Oct 2020 as the Chief People Officer, before previously holding the role of Vice President of Talent Acquisition & Inclusion during a period of exponential growth for the company, Nilka served as Chief People Officer at SeatGeek, where she worked to retain talent and look after their team and a live events business during the most difficult times of Covid.

In her earlier career, Nilka spent 13 years at Google working in a range of HR related functions in several global markets including, London, Zurich and Seoul, leading efforts focused on recruitment, D&I, employee engagement, HR governance and employee relations. During her tenure she oversaw Google’s community engagement efforts, providing strategic thought leadership on issues affecting the Black and Hispanic communities. Nilka also lends her experience to developing the next generation of fast-growing technology companies looking to build and scale global HR functions and teams through her advisory partnerships with Glynn Capital and Greycroft Capital.

Ms. Thomas received her BA in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Oregon, where she was an All American in Track & Field.