Mike Hayes

Mike Hayes is the managing director of Insight Partners, a global software investment firm based in New York with $80B+ in regulatory assets under management and 800+ portfolio companies across every stage of growth. Hayes is passionate about technology as the best way to elevate societies and standards of living and create real meaning and impact.

Hayes was previously the Chief Operating Officer at VMware, responsible for the company's global business operations and SaaS transition. He led the teams responsible for enterprise technology, data, analytics, machine learning, automation, business transformation, M&A integration, procurement, revenue operations, and enterprise security. Hayes helped lead VMware’s successful sale to Broadcom for $69B, one of the largest global technology deals ever.

Hayes is the author of the bestseller "Never Enough," which was published by Macmillan in February 2021. He donates all profits to his 501c3, The 1162 Foundation, which pays off mortgages for Gold Star families.

Prior to joining VMware, Hayes was a senior executive at Cognizant, a 270,000-person IT services firm, Fortune #195, with $16B in revenue. He was a member of the 14-person executive leadership group, had $2B P&L responsibility for the firm’s largest clients in Banking and Financial Services, and led a massive change management program to drive scale and growth for the firm’s largest accounts.

Prior to Cognizant, Hayes was a Chief of Staff to the CEO and Chief Operating Officer at Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest and most successful hedge fund with over $160B under management. He joined Bridgewater after serving as a White House Fellow and Director of Defense Policy and Strategy at the National Security Council under the Bush and Obama administrations and a 20-year Navy SEAL career during which he was the Commanding Officer of SEAL Team TWO.