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Handshake Appoints Nishant Ranka as Founder and President, Wes Field as Chief Commercial Officer

PRIVATESep 28, 2026
New to company · from Microsoft“He joins after six years working on frontier large language models, including as founding product manager for Google's MUM models and platform, work on Gemini's first Flash models at Google DeepMind and, most recently, Microsoft's MAI models.”

Position

President

Company

Handshake

Nishant Ranka
San FranciscoArtificial IntelligenceEducationE Learning

Description

Handshake has made significant senior appointments to bolster its AI initiatives. Nishant Ranka has been appointed as Founder and President of Handshake Labs while Wes Field takes on the role of Chief Commercial Officer for Handshake AI.

Quick answer

Handshake Appoints Nishant Ranka as Founder and President, Wes Field as Chief Commercial Officer (September 28, 2026). Handshake is based in San Francisco, California, United States.

Who is the new President at Handshake?
Handshake named Nishant Ranka President, announced September 28, 2026.
What did Handshake announce on September 28, 2026?
Handshake has made significant senior appointments to bolster its AI initiatives. Nishant Ranka has been appointed as Founder and President of Handshake Labs while Wes Field takes on the role of Chief Commercial Officer for Handshake AI.
Where did Nishant Ranka work before joining Handshake?
Nishant Ranka joins from Microsoft.
What does Handshake do?
Handshake is a platform that enhances career development through innovative AI tools and products.
Where is Handshake based?
Handshake is based in San Francisco, California, United States.
Which similar companies made leadership changes around the same time?
Wix (November 10, 2026), Schoox (November 10, 2026), Skillful Craftsman Education Technology Limited (November 12, 2026) and Visium (September 28, 2026) also announced leadership changes within 45 days of Handshake.

Source: Fundz verified event record.

Other recent leadership changes in Education and E Learning

Executive moves at companies in the same sectors within 45 days, from Fundz verified event records.

Who to call at Handshake, and when

A new leader at Handshake brings new priorities and often new vendors. The first weeks are when they listen.

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Company Information

Company

Handshake

Location

San Francisco, California, United States

About

Handshake is a platform that enhances career development through innovative AI tools and products. They recently launched AI-powered education resources to facilitate GRE preparation and career-focused projects. Handshake is dedicated to improving access to graduate education and employment opportunities.

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