ODMA Welcomes Three New Directors to Board

Three new directors have been elected to the Optical Distributors and Manufacturers Association (ODMA) board following the organisation's annual general meeting.

Shiva Taghvaei of Safilo, Jim Kareh of Matrix Eyewear and Michael Nasser of Opticare will join the nine-person board for the 2025 to 2027 term, bringing fresh perspectives to the industry association.

The new appointments follow a strong member turnout, with more than 80% of ODMA members casting votes in the board elections.

The three incoming directors will serve alongside six returning board members: Craig Chick, Brad Saffin, Gail Giordani, Mark Altman, Angelina Chee and Michelle North.

The board refresh comes as ODMA acknowledges the contributions of several departing directors. Robert Sparkes, who previously served as board chair, and Lionel Minter stepped down during the 2024-2025 period after serving as long-standing board members. Jacque Katsieris has also departed the board.

ODMA thanked all outgoing directors for volunteering their time to advance the interests of Australia's optical distribution and manufacturing sector.

The association's board has undergone significant evolution since 2022, when Giordani and Katsieris initially filled vacancies created by a resignation and the passing of Richard Grills in July 2022.