Christopher O’Connor Bio

Christopher J. O’Connor, MBA, FACHE
Executive Vice President of GNYHA Ventures, Inc.

Mr. Christopher J. O’Connor, MBA, FACHE has worked in the management consulting and healthcare industry for close to two decades. He has held a variety of leadership positions over the course of his career and has built a reputation as an innovative and growth-oriented thought leader. Mr. O’Connor has worked within the provider side of healthcare and at some of the top consulting firms across the globe.

Currently, Mr. O’Connor serves as Executive Vice President of GNYHA Ventures, Inc., the parent company for a number of for-profit businesses, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA). GNYHA is a one-of-a-kind trade association comprising over 300 hospitals and continuing care facilities, both voluntary and public, in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Puerto Rico.

Mr. O’Connor also serves as President of GNYHA Services, Inc., an acute care group purchasing organization. In his role as President, he is responsible for the management and growth of the GNYHA Services/Premier portfolio, as well as the Business Solutions Group, Business Strategy, Pharmacy Services, and Strategic Contracting Services divisions. Mr. O’Connor, along with his team, has been a critical component in client base expansion, strengthening, and growth. Under his tenure, the company’s profitability has grown from $16 million to over $50 million.

Mr. O’Connor is also President of Nexera, Inc., a healthcare consulting firm he created when he first joined GNYHA in 2003. Nexera’s initial focus was to assist hospitals and long term care facilities to identify and implement strategies to reduce supply chain cost through operational and strategic improvement. Today, the firm’s services have grown to include: Financial Improvement, Performance Improvement, Technology, Management and Workforce Solutions, Program Management, and Value Analysis.

Through Mr. O’Connor’s vision and leadership, Nexera’s impact on the healthcare community has been quite significant. Since its creation in 2003, Nexera has saved clients over $175 million.

In addition to his years at GNYHA, Mr. O’Connor has worked at KPMG (Bearing Point) and Deloitte. There he spent several years working internationally in Brazil, Holland, and South Africa on supply chain projects in financial services, manufacturing, and transportation. Once back in the U.S., Mr. O’Connor spent a year working with the United Nations and the then-budding Department of Homeland Security. He also successfully worked in the areas of cost reduction, M&A, reorganizations, strategy, system implementation (ERP), technology optimization, and health reform.

Mr. O’Connor is currently Chair-Elect of the 2013 Board for the Association for Healthcare Resources and Materials Management (AHRMM) and a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE). He is former Chair of the Premier Purchasing Partners National Technology Steering Committee (2003-2010), as well as a former Board Member of the Health Industry Group Purchasing Association (HIGPA).

Mr. O’Connor is an active speaker and author on a variety of healthcare, leadership, and supply chain topics. He has served as an adjunct instructor at Cornell University, Iona College, and SUNY Binghamton teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in Healthcare and Supply Chain Management. In addition, he has guest lectured on the topics of Leadership, Career Management, and Executive Perspectives within the Healthcare Programs.

Throughout his established career, Mr. O’Connor has always been motivated to give back to the various communities he has been a part of. He is an active fundraiser for Project Family, an organization dedicated to providing counseling and maintaining a soup kitchen for the Mount Vernon, NY community, and SCHOLA Ministers, an organization that supports and promotes liturgical and contemplative arts. Mr. O’Connor also volunteers at the American Red Cross of Metro New York as an Advisory Board Member.

Mr. O’Connor received his Bachelor of Arts in English Education from Iona College. He also has a Master’s of Business Administration in Production Operation Management and a Post Master’s Certificate in Management from Iona College’s Hagan School of Business.

Mr. O’Connor, a private pilot, currently lives in Westchester County, NY with his three sons.