Ankush Walhekar
About Ankush Walhekar
Ankush Walhekar serves as the Senior Director of Engineering at Sift, where he has worked since 2024, following three years as Director of Engineering. With a diverse background in engineering and management across several companies, he emphasizes empathy in leadership and advocates for continuous learning and team development.
Current Position at Sift
Ankush Walhekar currently serves as the Senior Director of Engineering at Sift, a position he has held since 2024. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing engineering operations and leading teams to enhance product development. Prior to this, he worked as the Director of Engineering at Sift from 2021 to 2024, contributing to the company's growth and technological advancements in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Previous Experience in Engineering
Ankush Walhekar has a diverse background in engineering roles across various companies. He worked at TIAA as a Senior Software Engineer from 2007 to 2009, and at DIRECTV as a Principal Engineer from 2010 to 2011. He also held the position of Senior Engineering Manager at DIRECTV from 2011 to 2016. His experience includes significant roles at Coupang and YapStone, where he served as Senior Engineering Manager from 2018 to 2019 and 2016 to 2018, respectively. Additionally, he began his career as a Software Engineer at Satyam Computer Services Limited from 2002 to 2006.
Educational Background
Ankush Walhekar holds a Bachelor of Engineering (BE) in Computer Science from Visvesvaraya Technological University, where he studied from 1998 to 2002. He furthered his education by obtaining a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, completing his studies from 2022 to 2024. He also participated in the Society of Information Management - SIM RLF program, focusing on Management Information Systems.
Leadership Philosophy
Ankush Walhekar emphasizes the importance of building trusting relationships and fostering empathy in leadership roles. He advocates for principles such as extreme ownership and radical open-mindedness to create a culture of continuous learning. His approach includes mentoring and coaching teams while adapting his leadership style to effectively manage various situations.