After three years as CEO of Essilor Australia and New Zealand, Mr. Pascal Toneatti will complete his assignment mid this year and move to new responsibilities within the Essilor group in Europe.
Mr. Tony Gray has been appointed the new CEO, and has joined the Essilor ANZ team for a period of orientation and hand-over before he officially assumes his role. Mr. Gray has strong local and international experience in the industry, most recently as Managing Director of Carl Zeiss Vision Australia for six years. Prior to that, he spent five years as International VP for Sales at Younger Optics in the United States.
“Tony fits in well with Essilor’s organisation in Australia and New Zealand. He already knows the industry which means a familiar face for our customers with whom they can build a long term relationship. With a few months to work together we have appropriate time to introduce him to the local Essilor staff and to life within the Essilor group, its history and culture” said Mr. Toneatti.
Mr. Toneatti’s time as CEO saw Essilor introduce a broad range of solutions for optometry practices including practice management systems with Sunix. He oversaw the introduction of Crizal A2 and contributed to the celebrations for the 50th Anniversary of Varilux in 2009 as well as the recent launch of Varilux Physio New Edition. He also committed Essilor to on-going support for Optometry Giving Sight as a Platinum sponsor.
“It is an exciting time to be joining Essilor and a terrific opportunity for me to bring some of my vision to the company as we face new challenges in a diversifying market. Having recently attended the ANZ sales conferences there is a lot to look forward to,” said Mr. Gray.
