4 business elite canada H OCTOBER 2016 Dr. Jean set up to support his brother, Remi, who was battling cancer — when he died suddenly at the age of 56. It was a blow not only to the IRIS team spread out across the country, but also the industry, as they lost someone described as both an exceptional leader and a visionary. Dr. Chaiken stepped into his role full time and was appointed CEO in May 2016. His own industry experience is vast and includes stints as president of the Quebec Order of Optometrists and chairman of the Canadian Optometric Regulatory Authorities. “Life takes you into strange places,” he commented. “I’m honoured to be able to step into Dr. Jean’s shoes; they’re big shoes to fill. He loved this profession more than any other optometrist I know.” CLOSE TO 150 LOCATIONS ACROSS CANADA Today, Dr. Chaiken is working with the rest of the IRIS team to carry on Dr. Jean’s legacy — to provide the best eye care possible while improving vision health standards for Canadians. Built primarily through acquisition, IRIS has approximately 150 stores across the country, including about 85 in Quebec and the remainder in British Co- “The hope is that IRIS would become 500 locations around the country or close to 20 percent of the Canadian marketplace.”
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