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 in-
cludes stints as president of the Quebec
Order of Optometrists and chairman of the
Canadian Optometric Regulatory Authori-
ties. “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 lega-
cy — to provide the best eye care possible
while improving vision health standards for
Canadians. Built primarily through acquisi-
tion, 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.”
8 business elite canada
H
DECEMBER 2016
