(PRESS RELEASE) Silhouette Optical announced that its board of directors has begun a search for a new president and CEO of its USA subsidiary. Meanwhile, Carol Montgomery, who has been advising the U.S. board while working with the USA management team on short- and long-term strategies for the business during 2017, has agreed to serve as interim CEO.
Under mutual agreement, Jan Cory is no longer the president and CEO of the U.S. subsidiary, which is located in Green Island, NY.
Cory said, “After more than three years of leading the USA subsidiary, I hope I have left the company stronger than when I started. I leave behind a highly competent team it has been my pleasure to work with. I’d like to thank our customers and partners for their support.”
According to Jan Rosenberg, CEO of Silhouette International Schmied AG, located in Linz, Austria, “Carol’s role as interim CEO is effective immediately. Carol has worked with a number of the Silhouette USA management team members, while advising the USA Board of Directors on strategic opportunities. Given this, and her proven success in the optical industry, the Board is confident in her understanding of the Silhouette business, and in her ability to lead the team forward, until the ideal CEO for the USA business is found.”
Montgomery will be supported by Arnold Schmied, member of the U.S. board and shareholder of the Austria-based family-owned business.
Montgomery is best known in the optical industry for growing the Revo brand of performance sunglasses into one of the most differentiated and successful high-end USA sunglass brands in its time. She led Revo as CEO until Revo was sold to Bausch & Lomb.
Since leaving Revo, she has consulted within the optical industry. She has held senior management positions at Sunglass Hut International and was interim CEO for SPY Optic, a publicly traded company, before joining its board of directors.
Montgomery said, “Silhouette is perhaps the highest-quality optical brand I have known, with standards of technical excellence I believe to be unsurpassed. While working with the USA subsidiary on a consulting basis these past months, I have been impressed by the potential of the brand, the company and every team member I have met. With what time I have as interim CEO, I look forward to continuing the work started with the team on a number of approved strategic initiatives, building toward an even stronger foundation for growth.”