The board of the Brien Holden Vision Institute
today announced the appointment of Professor Kovin Naidoo, former Deputy CEO, to the position of Interim CEO, following the passing of Professor Brien Holden in Sydney last week. Professor Naidoo is an academic, former anti-apartheid activist and political prisoner, optometrist and an internationally celebrated public health leader. His professional life has been dedicated to delivering eye care to people in need.
Speaking on the Institute successes, Professor Naidoo said, “Only recently, a moment that Brien Holden was immensely proud of, we received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for our Extended Depth of Focus (EDOF) contact lenses, a world first for the correction of presbyopia. Like so many of our inventions of the past, this is just the latest in a long line of innovations from the Institute.”
The Institute is founded on 40 years of extraordinary history; leadership in the industry and in the public health arena worldwide. “It is built on the vision, expertise and entrepreneurship of Brien Holden and decades of the talent and foresight of our impressive teams around the world,” said Professor Naidoo.
“While we mourn the loss of our beloved leader and friend we are reminded that the goals we collectively set and share, the movement that we began together, that changed the course of our industry’s history and millions of lives, will live on with passion, conviction and commitment to Brien’s legacy and our purpose to see vision for everyone…everywhere,” he said.
“But importantly, the Institute’s success is due to our unanimously held goal – to create change, create vision and lead the way. We are proudly a collective of outstanding governance, astute business people, researchers, public health professionals, and education and technology specialists. We have excelled in all areas in recent years, forging new pathways where previously they did not exist; invention, creativity and excellence are at the core of all we do. Our future, thanks to those teams and the leadership of the Institute, is in good hands, as it always has been,” he added.
