PEOPLE

Following the announcement that he will retire from optometry, award-winning optometrist, international speaker, and scleral contact lens expert Thomas P. Arnold, O.D., has taken a leadership role with AEG Vision, the parent company of Memorial Eye Center, where Dr. Arnold formerly practiced.

Fabrizio Uguzzoni has been named president of wholesale at EssilorLuxottica North America. Uguzzoni, based in New York, will lead the company’s unified wholesale business in North America. Rick Gadd, president of Essilor North America, will report to him.

Hoya Vision Care announced that Warren Modlin has joined the company as vice president of technical marketing. Trained as an optometrist in South Africa and based in California, Modlin brings more than 30 years of optical industry experience (including roles with Ciba Vision, Oakley, and NDV Performance) to Hoya.

Vision health startup IrisVision named Naeem Kayani as president and chief operating officer. IrisVision shares that the hire comes as the company prepares for expansion into remote vision care and telehealth applications for eyecare providers.

Marcolin appointed Colin St. Clair as senior vice president of sales for North America. St. Clair joins the company with extensive experience in organizational growth and development with companies such as PepsiCo, Essilor International, and Georgia-Pacific.

Tarrence Lackran, formerly director of partnerships and programming at The Vision Council, has joined Luxury Optical Holdings as the vice president, community relations—diversity & inclusion.

Randolph Engineering, Inc., appointed footwear industry veteran Sunni Fleming as vice president of product. Fleming brings 20 years of experience at New Balance to the role, with a focus on strategy, operations, brand extension, and product management.

BUSINESS UPDATES

◄ Blenders Eyewear, part of Safilo Group, announced further plans for international expansion outside the U.S. Following the launch of the brand’s e-commerce platform in Canada and Australia in the first quarter of 2021, Blenders will enter the U.K. and Ireland.

Visioneering Technologies, Inc., has added ABB Optical Group Canada, Inc., as the company’s newest authorized distributor business partner in Canada for the NaturalVue Multifocal 1 Day contact lenses.

AWARDS

The American Academy of Optometry has named Jonathan D. Lam, M.D., O.D., as this year’s recipient of the Hopkins Comprehensive Eye Care Award, named after the late industry leader Douglas W. Hopkins, O.D., FAAO.

◄ VSP Global and the National Optometric Association honored five students with the Dr. Marvin R. Poston Leadership Award, named after the late, trailblazing optometrist and the only Black American co-founding member of VSP. The 2021 recipients are Melisa Philogene, first year at Illinois College of Optometry; Sophia Johnson, second year at State University of New York College of Optometry; Claudia Amaniampong, third year at University of Waterloo School of Optometry and Vision Science; Raymond Farmer, O.D., fourth year at State University of New York College of Optometry; and Walter Jackson, O.D., fourth year and National Optometric Student Association executive board president at University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry.