William Thomas O'Connor (MIRO), Director
Career History
During 29 years working in the rail industry has delivered in a variety of
roles across a range of disciplines, including Operations, Production, Safety,
Human Resources, Change and Project Management from positions at the front
line of management up to Director.
Likewise, during his career has actively contributed on various industry committees.
The key ones being detailed below:
• East Anglia Safety Committee and East Anglia Regional Performance
Group.
• Safety Critical Work Group. (Rail Industry Advisory Committee RIAC).
• Drafting Group for revised GO/RT 3251 Safety Standards for Train Drivers
• ATOC Driver Management Liaison Group.
• BR Board - Signals Passed at Danger (SPAD's) Strategy Management Group
• Passenger Business South & East. Railways (Safety Case) Regulations
Steering Group
• Network Southeast Safety Validation Steering Group and Total Quality
Manager's Forum
• Operations Standards Manager's Committee
• BR Board - Traction & Train Crew Committee
• ATOC Operations Group.
• c2c Route Management Group.
• ATOC Human Resources Group.
• Rail Industry Employee Relations Group.
Personal Profile
Seen as a pro-active, results orientated manager with a strong belief in doing
the best job possible. Has a personal commitment to quality and cost efficiency
and can be summarised as a manager who aims for success and has delivered
in a rapidly changing industry. Able to relate with staff at all levels, and
posses excellent interpersonal and communication skills, strengthened by the
ability to maintain staff motivation and productivity during periods of change.
Regional Manager: EWS Railway April 03 to Aug
04
Accountable for the overall delivery of the EWS Business Plan within the Southern
Region.
Route Director: Silverlink Metro Sep 01 to April
03
Accountable for the leadership and delivery of all aspects of Customer Service,
Revenue, Costs and Profit. Development and implementation of business plans.
Compliance in respect of Strategic Rail Authority, Office of the Rail Regulator,
Safety Legislation and Safety Case requirements.
Operations Manager: c2c Rail Ltd April 00 to
Sep 01
Reporting to and deputising for the Director General Manager. Accountable
for the strategic management of operational performance, the Track Access
Agreement, Franchise Agreement, Service Provision requirements (PSR), Performance
Monitoring and Operational Safety. Professional Head of Operations. (Also
covered Head of Human Resources).
Head of Employee Relations:
WAGN & LTS Rail Ltd July 97 to April 00
Responsible for the implementation of Human Resource Strategy. Provision of
professional Human Resource expertise to Directors and Senior Managers and
Lead Manager for Reward, Recognition & Remuneration.
Train Service Delivery Manager: LTS Rail Ltd
June 96 to July 97
Responsible for meeting the targets specified in the production plan, including
day to day management of all LTS Rails production resources and monitoring
their deployment to facilitate continuous improvement. Dimensions of the job
included responsibility for operating costs of £23m, Operations Manager,
Fleet Services and Maintenance Manager, LTS Rail Controllers, 470 train crew
and maintenance staff.
Restructuring Manager: LTS Rail Ltd April 95
to June 96
Responsible for company wide restructuring, Change Management programmes and
productivity initiatives.
Crew Manager: LTS Rail Ltd April 94 to April
95
Responsible to deliver the safe, effective, and economic use of train-crew
resources. Dimensions of the job included responsibility for 370 staff and
a £7,000,000 budget.
Total Quality Manager. (TQM): LTS Rail Ltd Mar
93 to April 94
A member of the LTS Rail Divisional Executive. Responsible for company wide
strategies and advised on Quality, Safety and Environmental issues. Chairman
of safety validation panel. Staff reports included Safety Adviser, Chief Safety
Auditor, Safety Systems Manager, and 5 site Safety Officers.
Operations Standards Manager: LTS Rail Ltd May
92 to Mar 93
Major responsibilities included Safety Management within the Operations function.
Production of Operating Standards and training modules. Production of reports,
incident investigations and Chairmanship of Formal Inquiries.
Key Vocational Qualifications:
| The Effective Manager Certificate. (Open University) | Trainer Skills Certificate |
| NEBOSH Certificate in Occupational Health & Safety | Safety Auditor |
| Foundation Course in Safety Management Certificate | Certificated Rail Incident Officer. |
| Strategic Safety Management Certificate | Modern Safety Management Certificate |
Professional Institutions:
Institution of Railway Operators and Institute of Occupational Safety and
Health (IOSH)
Key Industry Courses and Seminars Attended
| SPADMIS | Rail Incident Officer |
| Hazard Ranking of Signals Passed at Danger | Strategic Safety Management |
| Foundation Course in Safety Management | Risk Management |
| Occupational Health & Hygiene | Health & Safety Law; Safety Technology |
| Safety Program Auditing Safety Management | Hay Job Evaluation |
| Negotiation Skills and Disciplinary Procedures | Instructor Trainer; Trainer Skills |
| Performance Review and Objective Setting | Interviewing Techniques |