Mike Hanrahan is the senior vice president and general manager of Project Kepler at Walmart’s newly-formed innovation hub Store No. 8. He is also a trained chartered accountant and a co-founder of online retailer Jet.com, purchased by Walmart for $3 billion in 2016. He previously served as Jet’s CFO.

Like his mother, Mike was born in County Waterford. His first job was as a salesman in the shoe shop his mother operated, learning early the importance of empathy between clerk and customer. His father hailed from New Ross, County Wexford, and was present during John F. Kennedy’s 1963 visit to his homestead in the town. “The Irish immigration story has always resonated locally given this connection,” he says. Mike attended the Waterford Institute of Technology and immigrated to the U.S. in 2010.

He adds, “I can’t help but think that the new wave of Irish immigrants have it better than previous generations. The Irish are seen as well- educated, technically savvy, and hardworking.” Mike and his wife, Jo, have four children, Molly, Tom, Rosie, and Rory. They live in New Jersey.