10 Things You Didn’t Know About Mike Walsh
Mike Walsh is the CEO of LexisNexis, an international legal-based business that provides data, solutions, and analytics to various markets. Currently, his company has clients in more than 150 countries. He has hired more than 10,600 people with different job descriptions for his firm worldwide. Before LexisNexis, Walsh also worked for many companies, including Home Depot. Here are 10 things you didn’t know about Mike Walsh.
1. He’s the CEO of LexisNexis Legal Markets (2003 to Date)
Mike Walsh is the President of LexisNexis and CEO of the US legal market. Before becoming CEO, Mr. Walsh was the company’s Senior Vice President, Global Strategy and Business Development. He joined the company after Home Depot in 2003. His primary role at the time was to spearhead the expansion of its risk management sector. Mr. Walsh was appointed to the current position (CEO and President) in 2011. Part of his job involves providing risk solutions for government agencies and companies looking for data analytics, fraud detection, investigations, receivables management, risk decision-making, and work optimization.
2. Before LexisNexis, Mr. Walsh worked for Home Depot (2001 – 2003)
According to LexisNexis, Mr. Walsh was Home Depot’s Strategic Business Development Director in 2001. The company is the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer, serving all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Canada, and Guam. While there, his role was to provide information, legal advice, and solutions to streamline the company’s business processes. After two years of active service, he exited the company to join LexisNexis.
3. He was the Vice President at FindLaw (2000 – 2001)
According to LexisNexis, Mr. Walsh was the vice president of FindLaw in 2000, before Home Depot. Thanks to his training in Law at Harvard Law School, he worked as a consultant and legal representative for clients with legal issues. While there, he used his knowledge and experience in law to write informational articles covering various legal topics and information regarding how to hire an attorney and understanding your state’s specific laws. In 2001, he left FindLaw to become a strategic business development director at Home Depot.
4. He was the co-founder of Infirmation.com (1999 – 2000)
Mr. Walsh was the co-founder of Information.com in 1999. It was a digital community of lawyers and a legal career center which FindLaw later acquired in 2000. The free legal information website helps customers, small business owners, students, and legal professionals get answers to legal questions and legal counsel. Together with a team of lawyers, he helped create a free legal dictionary and magazine, a platform that contributors use to argue, explain, and debate legal matters. The Washington DC Metro Area-based website is still active.
5. He was a Consultant/Project Leader at The Boston Consulting Group (1996-1999)
Mr. Walsh was also a consultant/ project leader at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in Boston, Massachusetts. He started working for the privately-owned company in 1996. The company mainly conducts surveys on the job market. As the project leader, Mr. Walsh noticed that company leaders were clueless about how fast jobs were changing due to the new skills that keep emerging, leading to skill disruption. Mr. Walsh left the company in 1999 to co-found Information.com.
6. He earned his JD from Harvard Law School (1990-1993)
Mike has been named one of the best CEOs in the world of diversity as per Comparably Employee Reviews. He has his Juris Doctor (JD) degree from Harvard Law School to thank for that. He enrolled at the school in 1990 and earned his JD in 1993. With a background understanding of how the law operates per state, Mr. Walsh joined a network of lawyers to create a digital legal website for enlightening people about legal information. According to LinkedIn, he joined other virtual lawyers to launch LexisNexis Rule of Law Impact Tracker, a tool for applying the interactive rule of law.
7. He earned his BA from Yale University (1985-1989)
Before Harvard Law School, Mr. Walsh was a student at Yale University between 1985 and 1989. He earned a BA from the university. Thanks to his knowledge of business administration, he’s held various positions in five companies. Today, he’s the President of LexisNexis and the US legal market CEO.
8. He’s a member of the Board of Directors at the Atlantic Council
Atlantic Council is the US think tank transforming leadership and engagement in international affairs to help the Atlantic Community solve global challenges. Mr. Walsh is one of the board of directors who specializes in helping communities navigate sudden changes in the economic and political influence that influence the 21st century. He joins other board members to write papers and promote ideas to help regional centers and functional programs shape the current policy choices. The website was founded in 1961, and its headquarters are in Washington, District of Columbia, DC.
9. He believes in teamwork
In an interview with Business Pundit, Mr. Walsh admitted that a cohesive teamwork approach is better than handling all businesses on your own. He says that it’s best to ask your employer or IT department for help managing all the information coming your way. This was after a survey revealing that eight in ten workers admitted that their employers created better solutions for better information management. Employees who participated in the survey said that after raising such concerns, their employers invested in technology and offered training and “email-free” times. Mr. Walsh concluded that this culture should be practiced in all businesses.
10. He comes from Colorado and is a dedicated husband and father
Mike Walsh grew up in Colorado. Currently, he lives with his wife (Sheila) and two children (Sophie and Deven) in Mamaroneck, New York. LexisNexis appointed him to his current position in 2011.
Conclusion
As more businesses emerge and the current ones grow, it’s imperative to have global strategies and business developers by their side to create risk solutions. Mike Walsh is one person that has proven that interactive platforms regarding legal matters are essential. His law and business administration background has helped him impart knowledge and offer legal services to various clients globally. Also, his contribution on platforms like Atlantic Council qualifies him as a role model to budding white-collar professionals globally.
