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Theo Charalambous has been appointed President and Shuva Bose as Vice President of Optometry Australia.
Mr Charalambous succeeds Margaret Lam, who has served in the position since 2022.
Co-opted director, Ramy Aziz has stepped into the role of Treasurer, bringing a depth of finance, management and governance experience. South Australian optometrist Elise Pocknee-Clem joins the national board as a new director.
The appointments were announced during an Optometry Australia Annual General Meeting on Friday, 29 November 2024.
Reflecting on Ms Lam’s tenure as President, Mr Charalambous praised her leadership, acknowledging the contributions she has 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.
‘I look forward to working with my fellow colleagues to support optometrists and advocate for better eye care 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’.
About Theo Charalambous, President
Mr Charalambous joined the national board in 2021. A 2001 Bachelor of Optometry graduate from the University of Melbourne, Mr Charalambous also holds a Senior Executive MBA from the Melbourne Business School and the Australian Insitute of Company Directors (AICD) 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. Mr Charalambous now owns and works across a number of OPSM practices across Melbourne and an independent practice in Hastings, Victoria.
About Shuva Bose, Vice President
Mr 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 (QUT), where he assists students in developing clinical diagnostics and management. Mr Bose’s prior research experience involves working in a research clinic investigating contact lenses and sports vision.
About Ramy Aziz, Treasurer
Mr Aziz was the former Chief Financial Officer of ASX Ltd., and holds a wealth of experience in the finance, strategy, risk and governance sector. He holds 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.
Mr Aziz is a Fellow Certified Practicing Accountant (FCPA), which recognises him as an expert in the field of accounting and finance, and a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia.
About Elise Pocknee-Clem
Ms 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 eye care. She spends much of her time managing the practice group and consulting in Port Lincoln and Whyalla.