Welcome back to our Employee Spotlight! It’s been a while since we did one of these, but we are excited to be back. Today, we’re shining the spotlight on Mike Kelleher, who works in business development and product management for our European branch.
Where are you from and where did you go to school?
I am from a town in Ireland called Cork. I got my undergrad at University College Cork, where I actually got a food business degree. I went to Dublin City University for my post-grad and then ended up traveling a bit before going back home to Cork.
Where did you work before coming to Innowatts?
Prior to Innowatts, I worked with Centrica’s Irish subsidiary for about 12 years. Prior to that, I was an oil and currency futures trader, and prior to that, I was involved with a startup company for online prediction markets. And prior to that, I was an equity options broker in New York. So I did a lot of jumping around!
What are you currently doing at Innowatts?
To sum it up, I’m the business guy at a software engineering place. I focus on strategy and growth, product innovation, and sales. My goal is to build the strong footprint in Europe that we have in the US. The market is slightly different here, so I aim to make sure we have the internal capabilities to match.
How has your position changed?
It’s changed a lot throughout my time here! I started out working in Client Success, which morphed into a hybrid sales and Client Success role. That morphed into market research, which has focused primarily on commercialization in the European market in the last few weeks.
What do you find most exciting or rewarding about working with Innowatts?
I think this is a fascinating field to be working in right now. We are in a critical decade for mankind’s single most crucial area for progression, energy. We can’t do anything without energy, and we’re going to see monumental changes in how it will be used and managed over the next 10 years. It’s really exciting to be a part of that journey, because data will be key to all of that transition.
What do you like to do outside work?
Well right now, with this COVID-19 thing, nothing besides trying to keep up with my two kids! Outside of work, I usually like to play golf and spend time with my family. I also enjoy traveling, but one of my kids is only 3 so our holidays are a bit run-of-the-mill at the moment. I like going to concerts. I also like good food. My years in college taught me how to spot a great steak!
With a food business degree I sure hope you’d like good food! Do you have a favorite food?
I really enjoy a good curry. Indian food is our big treat every Friday night during the lockdown; we have an amazing Indian takeout near us. I like Mexican food as well (but I keep being told by my Texas colleagues that I haven’t had any proper Mexican food without having been to Mexico!)
Where is the most interesting place that you’ve traveled to?
I loved visiting Kenya. I loved everything about it; the people are friendly, the wildlife is interesting. It’s all very interesting, and it’s becoming a fantastic place to live because they don’t have to deal with legacy infrastructure like we have laying around in Europe. You can see the technology leaps, like how Africa was the first continent to really embrace cashless payments and digital commerce. I’d love to go back there.
Innowatts is growing, and we’re always looking for the best talent. If you are interested in becoming part of the Innowatts team, learn more about us here.