About Mike

Mike Hayes is Managing Director, Insight Partners, a global software investment firm with $90B+ in regulatory assets under management and 800+ portfolio companies across every stage of growth. Prior to Insight, Mike was Chief Operating Officer at VMware, where he led the company's worldwide business operations, their SaaS transition, and the successful acquisition into Broadcom for $94B. Before that, Mike served as Senior Vice President and Head of Strategic Operations for Cognizant Technologies, where he ran a $2B P&L for Cognizant’s global financial services clients. Mike previously spent four years at Bridgewater Associates, an investment management firm, where he served in Chief of Staff to CEO and COO roles. Prior to Bridgewater, he spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy SEALs where his career began as one of 19 graduates from a class of 120. Mike served throughout South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia, including the conflicts in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. His last job in the Navy was the Commanding Officer of SEAL Team TWO, which included ten months as the Commander of a 2,000 person Special Operations Task Force in southeastern Afghanistan. Before that, Mike was selected as a White House Fellow ('08/'09) and served two years as Director, Defense Policy and Strategy at the National Security Council. In the Bush Administration, Mike was responsible for the START Treaty, where he produced a new proposed START Treaty and flew to Russia for negotiations. In the Obama administration, he led the White House response to President Obama's first major foreign policy showdown - the hijacking of the Maersk Alabama off the coast of Somalia. Prior to the White House Fellowship, Mike served as the Deputy Commander for all Special Operations in Anbar Province, Iraq. Mike holds an M.A. in Public Policy from Harvard's Kennedy School and received his B.A. from Holy Cross College, where he was an active Big Brother. His military decorations include the Bronze Star for valor in combat in Iraq, a Bronze Star for Afghanistan, and the Defense Superior Service Medal from the White House. Mike is the author of best-seller “Never Enough: A Navy SEAL Commander on Living a Life of Excellence, Agility, and Meaning" and donates all profits to a 501c3 he started that pays off mortgages for Gold Star widows and children. Mike serves on the board of Immuta, a data governance company, and is the founding board member of the National Medal of Honor Museum. Mike is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, is fluent in German and Spanish, frequently speaks about leadership and elite organizations, and enjoys mentoring others to success. He is a life-long Sox/Pats fan, but most enjoys laughing with his wife, Anita, and their 24-year old daughter, Maeson.