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officer and the Department of Navy chief information officer, who recommended the Navy continue moving away from outdated “on-premise” models to a more effective, accessible cloud-based model.
