If you were to distil a conversation with Michele Ginocchietti into a word cloud, one term would dominate in bold, oversized type: innovation.

It is a concept the head of EssilorLuxottica Australia and New Zealand returns to frequently and deliberately – framing not only his priorities for EssilorLuxottica in the region, but also his broader view of where the optical industry is heading.

Less than six months into his role, Dr Ginocchietti is clearly energised by the opportunity. “I’m quite excited to be in this new journey in Australia and New Zealand,” he said, describing the region as a “key region for the group” and one where he is keen to contribute both to business growth and to the development of the wider optical industry.

What has struck him most so far is the calibre of the market itself. “The market is full of professional people and the level of professionalism is really, really, really high,” he said. That, in turn, creates the conditions for progress. “That unlocks a lot of innovation, a lot of, let’s say, spirit of research and finding new way of servicing, or better servicing, our patients, the consumers.”

Dr Ginocchietti also highlights the role of Australia and New Zealand’s regulatory environment in enabling that momentum. In his early observations, it is a system that supports rather than slows innovation, allowing new technologies and approaches to be introduced and adopted more rapidly than in many other markets. Combined with a reputation for early uptake of new ideas, he sees the region as particularly well aligned with EssilorLuxottica’s strategy.

That strategy, he explains, is centred on continuous innovation and value creation. “Our strategy is to continue to develop the industry through innovation; to create a value for the patients and for our partners through an innovation cycle that we are able to shorten and make successful,” he told mivision.

In practical terms that means building on the company’s core strengths in eyewear and vision care while expanding into adjacent categories. Myopia management, dry eye treatment, audiology, and wearable technology are all areas of focus, reflecting what he describes as a broader shift into MedTech over recent years.

Audiology is one of the newer frontiers, being introduced gradually across the network. Dr Ginocchietti said the approach is deliberately measured to ensure quality of care is maintained as services expand. “We are developing step-by-step and scaling up with a pace that allow us to be excellent and to always provide the best service to our customers,” he said, adding that the company expects to become “very relevant also in this sense” in the coming years.

Dr Ginocchietti noted teleoptometry is playing an increasingly important role, particularly in improving access to care in remote and regional areas. Describing it as “optometry executed at distance”, Dr Ginocchietti said the technology is already delivering strong results. “We have a lot of positive responses on it,” he said, noting its value in overcoming geographical barriers and enabling timely assessment when patients cannot easily access in-person care.

At the same time, Dr Ginocchietti is clear that innovation is not just about new products but about enhancing the patient experience. “When a patient is coming to our store, we want to give something more.”

Wearable technology, in particular, looms large in his vision of the future. He describes a coming transformation in which eyewear evolves beyond its traditional role. “We envision a moment in which you don’t need anymore your mobile phone, but you can do everything with your smart eyewear,” he said, pointing to developments that could integrate communication, health monitoring, and augmented functionality directly into everyday devices.

EVOLUTIONARY CHANGE

Despite the scale of that ambition, Dr Ginocchietti emphasised that change will be evolutionary rather than abrupt. Optical retail, he said, is the product of a long period of refinement, and the focus will remain on continuous improvement rather than wholesale reinvention. What will shift, however, is the level of technology embedded in both products and services, and the corresponding expertise required from practitioners.

“We have been for more than 100 years in an industry that has been quite static on the frame side. On the lenses, [much progress has] been made, and Essilor was one of the brands that really was more active in this innovation journey in the last 60 years.

“But I would say today we are on the edge of transformation where not only traditional frame plus lenses are part of the solution, but technology will better support the life of patients in everything they do.”

Australia and New Zealand, he believes, are well placed to lead that transition. “Australia and New Zealand are markets famous for being early adopters of innovations,” he said, noting that initial responses to new technologies such as wearables and audio eyewear have already exceeded expectations.

On the question of deeper integration with ophthalmology, Dr Ginocchietti is more measured. While EssilorLuxottica is already active in the space globally and supplying technology into ophthalmology practices, he would not be drawn on specific plans for the Australian and New Zealand markets. “At this moment, I have no more to share,” he said, adding only that the company will continue to evaluate opportunities in the sector.

Ultimately, Dr Ginocchietti returns to the idea that innovation must be embraced not just in theory but in practice. “Innovation is here already. Now is the behaviour switch that needs to happen,” he said, calling on the industry to continue its adoption of a forward-looking mindset and to actively integrate new solutions into patient care.