McCombs School of Business

ExecEd Sees Through Ben Franklin's Eyeglasses

What do Benjamin Franklin and Executive Education have in common?

  • Benjamin Franklin invented bifocals (in his forties, of course!).
  • The No. 1 prescribed progressive bifocal lens worldwide was invented and designed by France’s Essilor, the largest manufacturer of ophthalmic lenses in the world.
  • Texas Executive Education designed and teaches a leadership program for Essilor of America, Inc., the leading manufacturer and distributor of optical lenses in the U.S.

Essilor was created in 1972 from the merger of two former rivals: French eyewear-optics companies Essel and Silor. With operations on five continents, Essilor is a truly global firm, employing more than 25,800 people in more than 100 countries. Headquartered in Dallas, Essilor North America includes a Research & Development center, four lens plants, 116 prescription laboratories, two distribution centers and more than 8,500 employees.

One of the core values distinguishing Essilor’s global reputation as an employer is the recognition that its success is driven by the quality of its people. The company is committed to empowering its employees and takes into account each person’s potential and ability to grow.

Executive Education’s week-long Leadership Essilor program offers cutting-edge research and practical applications in the areas of Strategy, Finance, Marketing, Leadership and more. The program was designed by outstanding McCombs’ faculty members Jim Nolen, Kapil Jain, Genaro Gutierrez, Tim Ruefli, along with John Daly from UT’s College of Communication.

“This program is important to our business because it centers on developing leaders across all areas of our organization,” said Hubert Sagnières, president of Essilor of America. “As we continue to grow our position in the marketplace, our need for well equipped leaders will also grow. These leaders must possess core business and technical skills, a broad perspective of our industry, business and customers, as well as the ability to motivate our people to perform and challenge them to grow.”

Approximately 30 high-level Essilor managers from around the country have participated in each of the two Leadership Essilor programs presented in August 2004 and February 2005. The next session of the program will be held June 12-18, 2005.