There are changes in the management of the Dutch eyewear supplier GrandVision. CEO Stephan Borchert and CFO Willem Eelman leave the company.
Borchert and Eelman will say goodbye to the company on April 22, GrandVision and the new parent company EssilorLuxottica announced on Friday. The French eyewear group EssilorLuxottica then restructured the management. Instead of a new CEO, Massimiliano Mutinelli will take over as new President Optical Retail EMEA at EssilorLuxottica and Head of Amsterdam Corporate Offices at GrandVision. Niccolò Bencivenni takes on the role of Chief Financial Officer at GrandVision. Frederic Dauche remains active as GrandVision’s Chief Operating Officer.
“I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Stephan and Willem for their strong leadership and significant contributions over the years,” said EssilorLuxottica CEO Francesco Milleri. “Today we have a solid foundation to build on.”
Stephan Borchert has been the CEO of GrandVision since 2018. Over the past four years, he has transformed the company into one of the world’s leading omnichannel optical groups with significantly increased shareholder value. Willem Eelman has been CFO of the company since 2019. Previously, he was a member of GrandVision’s Board of Directors and chaired the Audit Committee.
“With the completion of EssilorLuxottica’s acquisition of GrandVision, Willem and I, along with EssilorLuxottica, feel this is the right time for us to step down from our roles as CEO and CFO of GrandVision. I’m very proud of the time I’ve spent at GrandVision and everything our team has achieved together,” said Borchert. “Looking ahead, I am confident that GrandVision is well positioned with a winning strategy and a promising future.”
In March 2021, the EU antitrust authority approved the acquisition of GrandVision by EssilorLuxottica. As part of the integration process, GrandVision’s Supervisory Board will end its mandate effective April 22nd.