Pat O’Connor is co-founder and Managing Director of Irish technology company VRAI, where he leads on investment, strategy and operations. VRAI have developed an AI powered VR training platform called HEAT (www.heatvr.io), and they work with a number of Global 500 companies across aviation, defence and manufacturing. Pat served for 20 years in the Irish Defence Forces including as a Cavalry unit commander, as Deputy Director of Communications and as spokesperson for three Irish Chiefs of Defence. Pat played a key role in devising the current Irish Defence Forces’ organisational strategy as a SME member of the Defence Forces’ Strategy Development Group. Pat has served operationally on United Nations Peacekeeping and Peace Enforcement missions in Liberia, Syria, Lebanon and Israel. He is a member of the Irish government’s ‘Future Jobs’ SME consultation group, an advocate of public service and private sector innovation partnership, as well as a keen contributor to Irish defence and security discourse. Pat holds a M.A. in Political and Public Communication from DCU and a MSc in Business, Leadership and Management from UCD Smurfit Business School, Ireland.