Optical Confederation appoints new Chairman

Chris Hunt as new Chairman of the Optical Confederation

The Optical Confederation (OC) has announced the appointment of Chris Hunt as its new Chairman. Mr Hunt will take up the position in October, succeeding the current Chairman, Don Grocott.

Mr Hunt has extensive optical experience, having held a number of CEO appointments
within large international corporations engaged in spectacle manufacturing, diagnostic
equipment manufacturing and optical retailing. He is Master on the Court of The Worshipful
Company of Spectacle Makers and a Trustee of its Education Trust. He also works as a
Strategic Development Consultant for a number of companies.

Mr Hunt said: “I feel very honoured to have been appointed as the new Chairman of the
Optical Confederation. Having served in, and having gained firsthand knowledge of all
sectors of both UK and international optics, I am confident that my broad experience can be
put to best use in furthering the cause of this excellent concept. I enthusiastically await the
challenge."

Don Grocott has successfully led the OC since its inception. Increased cross-sector
communication, co-operation and unity have steadily developed following the formal launch
in May 2010. The OC has had a number of collaborative successes which include the
formation of the Clinical Council, the public health indicator and the collective response to
the discontinuation of the supply of fluorescein strips.

Mr Grocott said: “Happily, working together is getting into the DNA of optics. Co-operation
enhances outcomes for patients. It improves working relationships with allied professions
and, perhaps the Confederation’s greatest success to date, it ensures that optics speaks to
government with a single voice. Optics and the eye health sector generally work more
closely now than was imaginable when earlier initiatives started on this path. There is much
more to do and so it is good news that Chris Hunt has accepted the Confederation’s
invitation to succeed me. He will bring a different perspective whilst sharing the clear
understanding that in optics, as in other so many other spheres, we are better together.”

For more information, see the Optical Confederation website.

Ends

For further information, please contact Anne Grenyer, Communications and Marketing Manager at the Association of Optometrists, on behalf of the Optical Confederation, at [email protected] or 020 7549 2063.

Notes to Editors 

Optical Confederation

The Optical Confederation is a coalition of the five optical representative bodies: the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO); the Association of Contact Lens Manufacturers (ACLM); the Association of Optometrists (AOP); the Federation of Manufacturing Opticians (FMO) and the Federation of (Ophthalmic and Dispensing) Opticians (FODO). As a Confederation, we work with others to improve eye health for the public good.