Visionary leadership: Neelam Gopwani Chainani

As the economy of the Philippines grows, consumers are increasingly setting their sights on quality eyewear and professional eye care. Whether they’re looking for sunglasses, prescription lenses or high-end designer eyewear, two of the most familiar and trusted brands in the country are Vision Express and Eye Society, both led by Neelam Gopwani Chainani.

The Managing Director uses an example from a different industry to illustrate her companies’ unique offerings.

"There’s a distinct difference between fast food and slow food," Chainani explains to The CEO Magazine. "Slow food is about taking the time to perfect processes and techniques, ensuring quality and care at every step. That’s the approach we take – offering the best customer experience, the highest quality eye exams with top trained doctors and the widest selection of designer brands."

While there are many competitors, Chainani takes pride in the care Vision Express and Eye Society provide to their customers, prioritizing their wants and needs from the moment they enter a store. One example of this is the ‘buy one get one free’ deal that Vision Express and Eye Society offer all year round.

"I understand that affordability is very important, so we offer two pairs to suit our customers’ lifestyles: one for work and one for play. We want people to feel that they’re getting value as well as quality and nobody else in the Philippines offers this," she explains.

As the market continues to grow, Chainani is also focused on educating her customers with the aim of helping them in the long-term.

"When you think about the difference between makeup and skincare, I compare us to the skincare industry, but for eyes," she adds. "We educate the market about how to buy glasses, what to do with them and how to take care of themselves over time. This is my vision for the next 10 years, educational growth and operational growth."

Technology in focus

While some people may consider eyewear to be a simple, yet stylish product, eye care is an ever-evolving field, with incredible innovations in testing, treatment, customer service and eyewear itself.

"I am 100 percent passionate about technology; I believe it’s the only way to move forward," she says. "When people visit our stores for an eye exam, we have a machine called a vision bot, which can check for hypertension, cholesterol, high blood pressure and how much exercise you can do, all from your eyes.

"We offer customized lenses tailored specifically to each individual’s unique eye needs, addressing their specific vision concerns. These lenses are crafted with precision and shipped directly from Japan to ensure the highest quality and personalized care. Another recent innovation is wrinkle-free lenses, which help prevent wrinkling on either side of the eyes."

Driven by Chainani’s fascination with all things tech, Vision Express and Eye Society have both already digitized many of their internal business processes, helping make things run smoother and faster, and they continue to explore new opportunities.

"We are already working on different activities with AI to offer our customers the best solutions and the best glasses based on what they searched for or purchased before. We plan to roll this out in the next few months," she says.

Aside from technology, one of the most important reasons for the success of Vision Express and Eye Society is the long-term support of its suppliers, including top eyewear manufacturer Tokai Optical and shopfitting solution provider Target Display.

"I personally foster strong relationships with our suppliers, and see them more as partners because of how closely we work together," Chainani says.

"I encourage them to expand their businesses, so they can support us, while we expand our business and support them. I’m really proud of what we’ve built together over time."

Nurturing talent

After 10 years running two major brands, Chainani has learned many important lessons about leadership and delegation.

"Your employees need to be an extension of you, so whatever decisions they make are perceived as coming directly from top management," she says.

"One of the key things I’ve learned is that when you develop a team, everything needs to be based on merit. There must be no inequality and no subjectiveness. People need to understand they have to work hard to rise up.

"When developing my team, I always take it one step at a time, never giving too much new responsibility at once. I work closely with them for the first six months before letting them manage things themselves."

Chainani refers to this as the ‘buddy system’, ensuring that she has direct contact with employees across the business and allowing them the time to learn and develop.

"I strongly encourage educational growth and pay for employees to learn from other institutions, not just from me. You can’t know everything yourself, so I make sure they’re continuously learning and bringing that knowledge back into the organization," she stresses.

With its strong brand presence, talented employees and exceptional customer service, Chainani is optimistic about the future of the industry.

"I’m proud of what we’ve created, proud for the patients that we’ve cared for, and look forward to continuing to serve our customers for years to come."