In the Eye of the Storm

Patrick Cordingley is best known for commanding the 12,000 soldiers of the 7th Armoured Brigade, "The Desert Rats", during the first Gulf War. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his leadership and bravery.
Patrick left the Army in 2000 after commanding a division before being the military adviser to the Sultan of Oman. On retirement he completed eight years as chairman of a technology company. During this time, he also worked for the BBC as a military commentator. He was also chairman of the trustees of Gilbert White’s House with the Oates Collection, chairman of the National Memorial Arboretum Appeal, Master of the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers and chairman and vice-chairman of the governors of two schools. He was a visiting scholar at Hull University, where he is a Doctor of Science. He is now chairman of Defence and Security Forum and a trustee of the Maritime Archaeology Sea Trust.
Patrick is often called upon by international and national TV and radio to commentate on defence and strategy issues.
In 2003, while commentating every day on the second Gulf War, Cristina Odone of The Observer wrote an article about his work entitled ‘Trendy lefty partygoers elbow their way to the star turn – the General’.
In 1995, Patrick wrote his No1 best-selling book In the Eye of the Storm: an account of leading Britain’s largest armoured deployment since 1945.

In his spare time, he enjoys lecturing. Audiences appreciate his engaging and rather modest personality and his sense of humour. With a clear understanding that every event and audience is different, he tailors each speech individually. He is invited as a keynote speaker, a motivational and inspirational speaker and as an after-dinner speaker. He really enjoys question sessions and tackling difficult issues. In a poll of 400 delegates attending a recent conference, Patrick's "ability to communicate with his audience" was rated at 3.9 out of a possible 4 - the highest score ever given to any speaker by this multi-national company's delegates. The theme of his keynote address was "Motivation, Risk and Strategy"

In 2007 The Times chief sports reporter wrote; ‘ ..if Great Britain does achieve its stated goal of finishing fourth in the Olympic medals table, we may have to attribute much of the success to .. Patrick Cordingley. If you ask a group of the best young sports coaches in the country, they will tell you that they have learnt as much about their trade from this man as any other.’

In 1984, Patrick went to the Antarctic and has written and lectured on the continent ever since. His biography on his hero, Captain Oates, is still in print 40 years after publication. He has conducted a study to show how small teams work together in these extreme conditions.

..if Great Britain does achieve its stated goal of finishing fourth in the Olympic medals table, we may have to attribute much of the success to ... Patrick Cordingley. If you ask a group of the best young sports coaches in the country, they will tell you that they have learnt as much about their trade from this man as any other

Times Sports Reporter in 2007