Mr Theo Charalambous has been appointed president and Mr Shuva Bose as vice-president of Optometry Australia (OA).
Charalambous succeeds Ms Margaret Lam, who has served in the position since 2022.
Co-opted director Mr Ramy Aziz has stepped into the role of treasurer, bringing a depth of finance, management and governance experience. And South Australian optometrist Ms Elise Pocknee-Clem joins the national board as a new director.
The appointments were announced during an OA annual general meeting on 29 November 2024.
In a statement supporting the changes, Charalambous praised Lam’s leadership of OA and acknowledged the contributions she had made to the association over the past few years.
“Margaret has been an exceptional leader, guiding the profession through significant milestones, and I’m excited to continue building on her work,” he said in the release.
“I look forward to working with my fellow colleagues to support optometrists and advocate for better eyecare across Australia.
“I’m particularly looking forward to helping drive Optometry Australia’s new advocacy campaign to reinstate two-yearly eye exams, and the upcoming 2025 myopia awareness campaign, both of which will have lasting impacts on eye health and the optometry profession in Australia.
“I have a strong commitment to ensuring we provide comprehensive and meaningful professional support to our members.”
Charalambous joined the national board in 2021. A 2001 Bachelor of Optometry graduate from the University of Melbourne, he also holds a Senior Executive MBA from the Melbourne Business School and the Australian Institute of Company Directors course in 2022.
He entered the optometry profession in 2002 working in practices in the Berwick and Pakenham areas before opening his own independent practice, ModernEyes, in 2008. Charalambous now owns and works across a number of OPSM practices across Melbourne and an independent practice in Hastings, Victoria.
Bose has practised optometry in retail and medical settings within metropolitan and rural settings, and is currently working in an independent practice. He is also a clinical supervisor at Queensland University of Technology, where he assists students in developing clinical diagnostics and management.
Bose’s prior research experience involves working in a research clinic investigating contact lenses and sports vision.
The statement said Aziz was the former CEO of ASX Ltd and holds a wealth of experience in the finance, strategy, risk and governance sector.
Is said he held a keen interest in healthcare, particularly in promoting professionals working in the health industry, and the provision of improved health outcomes overall.
Throughout his career, he has served as both a non-executive director and senior executive.
Aziz is a Fellow Certified Practicing Accountant, which recognises him as an expert in the field of accounting and finance, and a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia.
Pocknee-Clem is the managing director of three independent practices in Port Lincoln, Whyalla and Ceduna in SA and is a partner in a fourth practice in Victor Harbor. The practice group provide extensive outreach services across six other towns on the Eyre Peninsula.
She has previously served as president of both Optometry South Australia and Optometry Victoria South Australia (OV/SA) and oversaw the integration process of OV/SA with Optometry Australia in 2023.
Her professional interests are eye disease management, children’s vision, ocular therapeutics and rural and community eyecare. She spends much of her time managing the practice group and consulting in Port Lincoln and Whyalla.
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