Patrick Moore (l) and Melissa Rasmussen.

DULUTH, Ga.—As part of a series of executive moves announced late last week, National Vision Holdings (NASDAQ: EYE) has named chief financial officer Patrick Moore to the additional role of chief operating officer, a new position at the retailer. Moore, who will continue to serve as chief financial officer through the end of 2022, will lead the following areas in his new role as COO: retail operations, clinical services, real estate, labs, manufacturing and distribution, and strategy, according to National Vision’s announcement.

In addition, Melissa Rasmussen, who is senior vice president, accounting and finance, has been appointed to succeed Moore as the company’s chief financial officer, effective Jan. 1, 2023. Moore will continue in the role of chief operating officer following this transition.

“During his eight-year tenure as CFO, Patrick has always viewed our enterprise with a wide lens. He is capable of seeing the breadth of strengths and opportunities across our whole operations,” said Reade Fahs, chief executive officer.

 
“The COO role positions him to lead our cross-functional success at a very high level. And because of strong succession planning throughout the company, we have a deep bench of leadership talent to draw from to support these changes—I am thrilled that Melissa, a proven leader and talented executive, will be stepping into the CFO role."

Rasmussen draws on more than 20 years of financial leadership experience in diverse sectors, including manufacturing, health care, software and retail, and joined National Vision as senior vice president, chief accounting officer, in 2019.

The company announced additional leadership changes in the finance and operations functions:

  • David Mann, vice president, investor relations, has been promoted to senior vice president, investor relations.

  • Roger Francis, chief stores officer, will depart the company to pursue an international leadership role at a company outside the optical industry, effective Aug. 31.

  • Heidi Henneman, vice president of store operations and a 20-year veteran of the optical industry, has been promoted to senior vice president, head of stores.
National Vision Holdings is the second-largest optical retail company in the U.S. (by sales) with more than 1,300 stores in 44 states and Puerto Rico. Its banners include America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses, Eyeglass World, Vision Centers inside select Walmart stores, and Vista Opticals inside select Fred Meyer stores, among others.