Theo Lombard

Experience

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  Spec-Savers SA

  Dec 2000 - Aug 2004

  Optometrist

  Assist the practice owners in opening new practices in several locations in Johannesburg.Refraction of patients and dispensing of spectacles and contact lenses, as well as general practice management, i.e. invoicing, ordering stock, handling patient queries and achieving sales targets. I was also involved with the strategy development of the holding company of the group of practices that I worked for. Under my supervision I assisted with the identification, planning and opening of two new practices in the group as well as assisting the owner with the turn-around of two other struggling practices in the group. Show less

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  Younger Optics Australia

  Oct 2004 - Dec 2006

  Territory Manager | Southern Africa

  Responsibilities:• Involved in establishing Younger Optics in South Africa as the supplier of specialised, high quality ohthalmic lenses.• As the sole representative of the company in South Africa, managing the general administration and management of the company in South Africa, i.e. achieving sales targets, stock and freight control, resolving customer queries, debtors, creditors, general communication and strategic planning.• Developing and maintaining personal and professional relationships with labs.• Providing product training and marketing at practice level to the Optometrists and their supporting staff.• Arranging and facilitating workshops and road shows across South Africa.• Applying international business principles and strong negotiating skills when dealing with senior personnel of international companies, both locally and abroad. Show less

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  Brooklyn Optica

  Jan 2007 - Feb 2008

  Optometrist

  Responsibilities• Staff complement of 8 directly reporting to me• Refraction and prescribing ophthalmic lenses, contact lenses and low vision aids as well as diagnosing and co-managing ocular pathologies and diseases.• Medical aid claim processing, invoicing, stock management, personnel management and customer relations management.• Involved in the ophthalmic lens manufacturing process, i.e. surfacing, edging and fitting and dispensing prescription spectacles.• Managing personal fields of interest, including rigid contact lens fitting and anterior and posterior ocular segment diseases. Show less

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  Uniti Optical South Africa (Pty) Ltd

  Mar 2008 - Sept 2012

  Managing Director

  Overview:I established Uniti Optical after recognising the need for a lab that is able to supply specialised products that is supported with professional optometric knowledge and expertise. Since inception the company has grown to a recognised supplier within the South African market with an annual turnover in excess of R6 million per annum.Responsibilities:• Directly managing a staff complement of 9.• Managing financials, sales, operating and staff on a daily basis.• Negotiating asset financing, supply and delivery contracts and maintaining stakeholder relationships at local and international level.• Cash flow management.• Creating and assessing company budget.Operations management:• Logistics management.• Strategic planning and management i.e. designing and implementing business, sales and marketing plans.• Brand development and management.• Supply chain management.• Stock planning and management.• Internal project management.• Quality control and production management.• IT management and maintaining ERP system (Pastel Evolution).• Ensuring legal and financial compliance and governance.• Providing staff training, mentoring and personal development.• Applying negotiation skills when liaising with stakeholders.• Developing and maintaining good working relationships with all stakeholders.• Managing debtors, payments to creditors, tax calculations (PAYE, SDL and VAT) and expenses.• Complying with labour regulations, developing company policies and procedures, managing staff disputes and ensuring general adherence to company regulations. Show less

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  Evolution Optical (Pty) Ltd

  Oct 2012 - Feb 2015

  Chief Executive Officer

  Overview:Evolution Optical was formed as part of the acquisition of Uniti Optical by Essilor South Africa as part of their strategic expansion programmes. After the acquisition I was appointed as CEO of the company and tasked with the objectives of establishing the new company in the optical industry, developing a new brand of Ophthalmic lenses and ensuring the profitability of the company.Responsibilities:• Directly managing a staff complement of 18 people at 3 branches in South Africa.• Indirectly managing relationships with approximately 150 Optometric practitioners.• Directly reporting to the Country Manager of Essilor South Africa and the Vice President of Essilor AMERA based in Dubai.• Conducting daily, weekly and monthly reporting on sales, financial and budget.Operations Management:• Providing advanced product training to customers and staff• Ensuring process enablement throughout the company in order to improve efficiency.• Managing quality assurance.• Optimisation of production i.e. to reduce production times, bottlenecks and total turnaround time and wastage reduction.• Managing local distribution.• Stock control and range optimisation.HR Management:• Handling disciplinary hearings.• Leave management.• Performance management.• Contracts and salary management.IT Management:• Optimising Pastel.• Server and workstation management.• Software Management.• Managing disaster prevention and recovery.Financial Management:• Managing cash flow projection.• Budget management.• Controlling Income Statement and Balance Sheet.• Preparing business reviews.• Managing the annual audit.• Debtor control.• Creditor control.• Managing SARS, VAT and PAYE.• Investment management.Sales Management:• Providing Sales team technical training.• Managing sales targets.• Customer relationship management.• Developing sales strategies.• Managing strategic sales and customers.• Develop marketing plans and strategies. Show less

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  Essilor South Africa

  Feb 2015 - Aug 2023

  Directly responsible for developing sales of BBGR product in South Africa and Mauritius.I am currently managing a team of 5 reps across the South African territory.

  • Commercial Director: Lenses and Instruments

    Sept 2019 - Aug 2023

  • Director: Business Development BBGR

    Feb 2016 - Aug 2023

  • Commercial Director (CCO)

    Feb 2015 - Aug 2023
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  Essilor Ltd

  Feb 2015 - Jan 2016

  Support Service Director

  Overview:After the sale of Evolution Optical to Essilor International, I was appointed as Support Services Director for Essilor South Africa. The objective of this position is to create an effective support structure and channel between the Sales-, Marketing-, Operations-, Logistics-, Finance-, and IT departments.Responsibilities:• Directly managing a staff complement of 2 people at Head Office and indirectly responsible forapproximately 20 staff members at 3 branches in South Africa.• Directly reporting to the Country Manager of Essilor South Africa and the Vice President of Essilor AMERA based in Dubai.• Responsible for ensuring daily business continuity for all commercial departments.• Leading the process for achieving ISO9000 accreditation and certification for the company by November 2015.IT Management:• Hardware maintenance and upgrade planning.• Server and workstation management.• Software Management.• Managing disaster prevention and recovery systems.• Managing IT budget planning.• Managing inter branch connectivity.Operations Management:• Providing support to the Operations Director• Managing product production file support.• Supplying technical information for effective production.• Helping to improve turnaround and reduce wastage through implementing and improving systems.• Assist with production planning schedules and strategic capacity planning.Commercial Management:• Assisting Commercial Director with implementation of strategies• Managing the commercial upkeep of internal systems – uploading price lists, promotions and group discounts.• Providing strategic advice to sales teams through sales analysis and product analysis.• Responsible for internal training on product information. Show less

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  Dentsply Sirona

  Aug 2023 - now

  General Manager