Scott Shapiro, CEO of Europa Eyewear, was inducted as chair of The Vision Council’s board of directors.
AUSTIN, Texas—The Vision Council’s 2023 Executive Summit kicked off on Monday, January 9 with a welcome reception hosted by Ashley Mills, CEO of The Vision Council, and continued through Wednesday, January 11, according to an announcement from the association. In addition, on Tuesday, January 10, The Vision Council inducted its 2023 board of directors during the association’s Annual Business Meeting. For more information on The Vision Council’s governance and to access the full board of directors list click here.

The following members were confirmed to the board of directors for a first one-year term as officers: Scott Shapiro, Europa Eyewear, as chair; Jamie Rosin, Rosin Eyecare, as vice-chair; and Karen Roberts, Carl Zeiss Vision, as immediate past chair. The following member was confirmed to the board of directors for a second one-year term as an officer: Ross Brownlee, Hilco Vision, as treasurer. The following members were confirmed to serve initial two-year terms as directors at large: Earnie Franklin, VSP Vision; Andrew Wong, MyEyeDr.; Kate Doerkson, Luna Solutions; Ludo Ladreyt, EssilorLuxottica; and David Milan, EssilorLuxottica. The following members were confirmed to serve initial two-year terms as ex officio directors: Bidisha Rudra, Transitions Optical, as chair of the Marketing and Communications Committee; Jennifer Derryberry, Zyloware Eyewear, as chair of the Program Committee.

Taking place in Austin, Texas, a new host city for the event and the live music capital of the world, the 2023 Executive Summit brought together nearly 300 industry professionals for three days of executive-level networking and leadership development. Designed to illuminate the state of the vision care industry, spotlight key business trends and present concrete approaches to confronting the evolving challenges of the global economy, the 2023 Executive Summit included a robust schedule of engaging presentations and networking sessions.

"The Vision Council doesn’t exist in a vacuum,” said Scott Shapiro, CEO of Europa Eyewear, following his induction as chair of The Vision Council’s board of directors. “It’s part of a global and complex ecosystem of businesses, government bodies and other associations.” He continued with a call to action, “It is essential that we, as The Vision Council, speak and communicate with one clear, cohesive, and harmonious voice across that ecosystem, because our message needs to be heard. And that message is that vision care is health care.”

Following the Annual Business Meeting, Jessica Buchanan, New York Times bestselling author, humanitarian and survivor, presented “Change Is Your Proof of Life,” during which she shared the story of her rescue by SEAL Team Six after being held hostage by Somali pirates. She also discussed how to become a collaborator with change and create the strategies necessary to survive and thrive.

 
 
Buchanan was followed by a keynote from Bill Carr and Colin Bryar, former Amazon executives, authors and co-founders of Working Backwards, LLC. Their presentation highlighted how Amazon’s approach to leadership, culture and best practices were developed, refined and scaled, while supplying practical steps for applying it to any organization.

After lunch, Johnny Taylor Jr., president and CEO of Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), presented “Reset to Reimagine the Future of Work.” Focused on how to “reset” internal structure and procedures in the aftermath of the pandemic, he explored topics ranging from employee retention and recruitment to strategies for motivating employees and managing remote work.

The keynotes were followed by a presentation from The Vision Council’s Government & Regulatory Affairs team on the recent launch of VisionPAC. Attendees then had the chance to delve deeper into their areas of interest through themed breakout sessions before gathering for the Chairperson’s Dinner and after-party, which featured a live performance from local Austin band The Peterson Brothers.

The summit’s programming continued Wednesday, January 11 with an update from The Vision Council’s Research team on the recently released report: Market inSights 2022. This was followed by keynote speaker Brian Beaulieu, economist and CEO of ITR Economics, who shared a fiscal perspective for the future on how attendees can prepare their business and personal finances in 2023.

Jade Simmons, rock star concert pianist, closed the event with “Purpose...The Remix: Unleashing the Rhythm of Impact,” a unique musical experience designed to help attendees reimagine, reconnect with, and reignite their own purpose.