The shortlist has been announced for the SILMO IOA International Optician of the Year Award. Among the finalists is Optik and Eye Care Business Canada contributor, Wendy Buchanan, Registered Optician and Image consultant. Wendy is up against two Australian candidates and one from France – home of SILMO.
The innovative SILMO IOA International Optician of the Year Award was intialy awareded in 2018. It recognises the importance of the optician in the optical business and their role in the choice of optimum products for their clientele.
The award is presented by the International Opticians Association (IOA), an international body dedicated to the enhancement and development of the profession worldwide, in partnership with SILMO.
More About the Finalists
“Wendy Buchanan exudes professionalism and innovation. She has created one of the most unique and profitable mobile optician businesses in the industry and is known as an advanced image consultant having designed a propriety face shape and colour coding system unique in the industry.”
Wendy regularly contributes to Optik Magazine and Eye Care Business Canada through a regular column that advises how eye independent eye care professionals can bolster their eye wear dispensing sales and generate greater profitability for their practice.
She is also an Ambassador for IMAGINEM Magazine, a global eyewear fashion magazine that advocates for independent eyewear.
The 2021 winner, was Helen Whitaker, the first woman to win the award. Helen runs Secure Vision Optical in British Columbia, Canada and is the founder of the Secure Vision Mobile Optical Academy.
Other Finalists ….
Grant Hannaford has made Hannaford Eyewear the destination for leading edge innovation and excellence in clinical care for the Southern Highlands in Australia as well as delivering optical dispensing training for optometrists at UNSW.
April Petrusma is an on-call optical dispenser, a teacher with Australia’s largest provider of dispensing training ACOD and serves the wider optical industry as the inaugural CEO of the recently formed Optical Dispensers Australia.
Jean Francois Porte founded Edgard Opticians with his partner Julien Quesnel, growing the company from 1 to 16 independent optical stores plus 8 franchise stores in major cities in France. The business has been built on word of mouth, customer satisfaction, specialisation (two of his stores are dedicated to children) and designer products.
IOA President Fiona Anderson says, “We are impressed by the calibre of entries and delighted to announce this short list. The finalists will now have the chance to supply a dossier of evidence to back up their achievements in the eight areas of expertise we are looking for. I hope that showcasing these outstanding opticians will inspire the whole profession.”
The winner of this award, all qualified opticians in the country they practice in, will display the following attributes:
• Professionalism – the client is at the heart of their business and receives excellent care.
• Excellent communication skills – both personally and via social media.
• Entrepreneurial spirit – with solid business acumen highlighted through the success of their enterprise.
• Innovation – within their business model / product offer / shop design.
• Specialisation – with a reputation in a specific branch of optics.
• Creativity – both in the products they offer and the way they practice.
• Engagement – with the profession, the community, charitable endeavours and industry.
• Advocacy – championing the profession of dispensing.
What Happens Next
Wendy told Optik that she’s excited to be nominated and now, “I need to complete an extensive dossier of my contributions and accomplishments. The winners are selected by the International pane of industry experts”.
The award announcement will be made in SILMO Paris in September.
To find out more visit www.ioassn.org/award
Click HERE for the full press release.
