People

Advancing Eyecare has appointed Jim McGrann as chief executive officer and David Spear as president and chief strategy officer. Most recently serving as president and chief operating officer of Percept Corp., where he will remain on the advisory board, McGrann brings 25 years of vision care experience including roles as president and CEO of VSP Vision and chairman and CEO of the Professional Eye Care Associates of America. With more than three decades of industry experience, Spear most recently served as CEO and board director at Innova Medical.

Richard Heppell has been appointed as chief commercial officer of Bollé Safety, bringing 27 years of industry and leadership experience from roles including president and chief operating officer for America, Oceania, and EMEA at Showa, a manufacturer of medical and industrial personal protective equipment.

Steven Fusco has joined Hilco Vision’s Bruder Healthcare as the national account director, having recently served as senior director of business development at Lexitas. He also held sales management positions with Santen and Eyevance.

CooperVision has promoted Karen Walsh, MCOptom, PGDip, FAAO, FIACLE, FBCLA, to senior director to lead the company’s newly created global professional affairs organization. Prior to joining CooperVision in 2021, Walsh was known for her work as an educator, researcher, and author at the Centre for Ocular Research and Education at the University of Waterloo. She also served as professional affairs manager for the U.K. and Ireland at Johnson & Johnson Vision. 

Heinz J. Pichler has joined Modo Eyewear as the eyecare professional sales director, bringing experience from serving in key positions at Silhouette, Marchon Eyewear, and ClearVision Optical.

Safilo has appointed Jan Cory as vice president of sales for the department stores and internet pure players channels for North America. She brings more than three decades of eyewear industry experience from having held leadership positions of increasing responsibility. Currently the membership committee co-chair of the Optical Women’s Association, she also served as a past member of The Vision Council’s program committee and the Accessories Council.

Business Updates

Bausch + Lomb’s recycling programs have been recognized as 2023 Sustainability Award winners by Business Intelligence Group in the Sustainability Service of the Year category. The One by One and the Biotrue Eye Care programs—launched in 2016 and 2021, respectively—have recycled 73.8 million units, or 445,600 pounds, of used contact lens, eyecare, and lens care materials.

The European division of Bollé Safety has earned EcoVadis Gold Medal accreditation for sustainability, placing the company in the top 5% assessed by EcoVadis in more than 175 countries.  

OptiPlus powered by SeeGreen lens cleaner from Hilco Vision has earned Green Seal verification, making it the first Green Seal-certified lens care brand, according to the company.

The Optical Training Institute has acquired OpticianU, known for its OptiQuick rapid optician training program, and the bestselling “The Optician Training Manual 2nd Edition: Simple Steps to Becoming a Great Optician,” in its mission to offer educational resources to the optical community.

VSP Vision has been named a 2023 Top Company for Executive Women by Seramount, which recognizes U.S. companies that support women’s growth and advancement toward management and senior-level positions. 

Awards

Lighthouse Guild has announced the recipients of its 2023 awards: Wiley A. Chambers, M.D., was honored with the Bressler Prize for supervising new vision therapeutics at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Saqib Shaikh of Microsoft received the Pisart Award for developing Seeing AI, a free mobile app for people with visual impairments; and Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney was selected to present the Morse Lecture in Advocacy for her work on legislation that supports people with vision challenges, including the Medicare Demonstration of Coverage for Low
Vision Devices Act in 2022.