University of Oxford lecturer Patrick O'Connell has extensive senior executive experience managing complex transformational projects for international private and public enterprises, including High Speed Rail 2 Ltd. (HS2) in London, England. In 2014, he served as interim program and strategy director for HS2’s $85 billion dollar high-speed rail program. During his academic career, Patrick O’Connell obtained life-long membership to the prestigious Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS) business honor society while completing a PhD in computer science at George Washington University.BGS is an internationally recognized honor society specifically for business majors attending programs accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. BGS chapters have been established in nearly 600 universities in 190 countries. The 103-year-old program has over 830,000 life-long members worldwide, including high-ranking executives, entrepreneurs, and academics. The society’s members will gather at its annual Global Leadership Summit in November of 2018. The event brings hundreds of students from the top business schools together to hear motivational speeches by industry leaders, network with other students, and meet with recruiters. The summit will take place over four days in Chicago, Illinois.
Patrick O’Connell is a well-established organizational administrator who guided High Speed Rail 2 Ltd. (HS2) in the UK as interim director. His focus with HS2 was on launching an ambitious project that will connect London and the Midlands through a high-speed train linkup. Passionate about fitness, Patrick O’Connell has trained for powerlifting competitions in his age group, with an aim of setting new records. Making progress at bench pressing and moving up weights requires specific strategies, including building up lat strength. Even on a bench, the entire back is engaged in moving the heavy weighs, with the lat muscles being critical. One way of increasing lat capacity involves performing bent-over rows using a barbell. This foundational exercise involves holding the barbell with the palms facing down, the torso bent forward nearly parallel to the floor, and the head kept up. Starting with the barbell hanging down, maintain a stationary torso while bringing the barbell up toward the body. With the lift occurring on the out breath, the elbows are kept up near the torso so that only the forearms do the lifting. The contracted position at the apex of the lift can be augmented by contracting the back muscles and getting a full lateral workout, which in turn boosts bench pressing strength.
Patrick O'Connell is the former interim director of program and strategy at London’s High Speed Rail 2, Ltd (HS2). Patrick O'Connell stepped away from HS2 in 2016 and took on the role of executive director and chief of naval personnel with the US Navy. In December 2016, the chief of naval operations approved a new operating model for the chief of naval personnel and all relevant departments. The new model can largely be attributed to Mr. O'Connell, who was recruited to the position of chief of naval personnel operations earlier in the year with orders to update the Navy’s existing operating model, which was described as asynchronous and piecemeal in design. The older mode of operations often had provided inaccurate analytics and generally functioned too inefficiently to maintain.The newer model assumes a more holistic attitude and relies heavily on modernized cloud computing technology. Approval of the operating model was further supported by both the Department of Defense chief information officer and the Department of Navy chief information officer, who recommended the Navy continue moving away from outdated “on-premise” models to a more effective, accessible cloud-based model.
A longtime organizational administrator who presently serves as the United States Navy’s chief of naval personnel, Patrick O’Connell previously held interim leadership responsibilities with High Speed Rail 2, Ltd. (HS2). Patrick O’Connell guided strategy and program development for an ambitious HS2 high speed rail network that will connect London with the Midlands and Northern England.With the $85 billion project progressing year-by-year, members of the regional business community are beginning to invest significant effort into planning for expected economic growth. Recently, the business advisory group of HS2 (Geldards) and the East Midlands Chamber of Commerce partnered to create a new business advisory group that will coordinate activities region wide. The projected gains are substantial, once HS2 trains begin operation in 2032, they are expected to generate nearly $5.5 billion in additional economic activity. The aim of the new group is to find strategic pathways toward maximizing these gains and providing East Midlands residents with greater opportunities as a result. In addition to developing new infrastructure that attracts high value companies, the plan involves regenerating local industries as well.
