MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.—The Optical Foundry has appointed industry veteran Cynthia McWilliams to the role of chief sales officer for OGI Eyewear and Article One Eyewear. McWilliams joins the leadership team as OGI Eyewear plans for expansion and growth going forward. She will be responsible for leading and overseeing the development and execution of the company’s sales strategy and will work closely with all departments to deliver a sales team operating at the highest level of efficiency, consistency and effectiveness.

McWilliams has over 30 years of experience in the eyewear industry, beginning at LensCrafters in store merchandising and then product development roles. She has held broad senior leadership roles inclusive of sales, retailing and product development, and has a proven track record for increasing revenue with wholesale divisions at Viva Group, Luxottica USA and Kenmark.

McWilliams said, “I am energized by the changes in the industry and the new ideas and technologies that are now available to deliver innovative products and services to optical professionals. The Optical Foundry’s investments and commitment to a healthy future for its partners and its total reworking of the brands and collections, inspired me to join the team during this very exciting phase for the company.”

Rob Rich, CEO of the Optical Foundry said, “To keep true to our mantra of The Optical Foundry ‘Independence for Independents’ we are continually looking to improve all aspects of our organization and become a better, stronger partner to our accounts. We aspire to support our customers in any facet that we can.

"With the addition of such a tremendously skillful and seasoned player to our OGI management team, Cynthia will be able to quickly and adeptly give us an even higher level of service and skill that very few organizations in the industry can deliver. Even fewer when you consider organizations whose sole goal is for the continued success of independent optical,” Rich said.

The Optical Foundry was founded in 2019 to curate a portfolio of brands that serve the independent optical market. The current members of the Optical Foundry are l.a.Eyeworks, OGI Eyewear and Article One Eyewear and their associate brands.