James Chen

CO-FOUNDER & BOARD MEMBER

James Chen is the visionary behind Adlens, the company he founded in 2005. James Chen is the Chairman of Wahum Group Holdings, based in Lagos, Nigeria, a manufacturer of enamelware, building materials and cardboard packaging. James is also CEO of Family Office Legacy Advisors Ltd.

James chairs The Chen Yet-Sen Foundation, named for his father. He is founder of the Hong Kong Chapter of Bring Me a Book, an NGO promoting early childhood literacy. James is Co-Founder of Adlens Ltd. and Adaptive Eyewear, an NGO.

James is also the Chairman of the China Exploration and Research Society, dedicated to conserving the cultural and bio diversity of China, a long standing member of the Outward Bound Trust of Hong Kong, past president of Young Entrepreneur's Organization, Hong Kong Chapter and current member of Young Presidents Organization, Hong Kong Chapter.

Hamilton Tang

BOARD MEMBER

Hamilton received his JD/MBA from Harvard Law School/Business School in 1991. After 5 years with Morgan Stanley's investment banking division in New York and Hong Kong, he embarked on an entrepreneurial career. Hamilton was an investor and co-CEO of Hong Kong's largest multiplex cinema chain and also started several related businesses - ticketing, film production/distribution and family amusement centres.

In 2000, Hamilton joined the Simon Murray group. Mr. Murray is the former CEO of Hong Kong's most recognized conglomerate, Hutchison Whampoa, led by Hong Kong's most recognized business leader, Mr. Li Ka Shing.

Today he oversees an investment and asset management business with over US$300 million in assets under management and interests across Asia, particularly in Greater China and Japan. These interests include investments in private and listed companies as well as discrete property interests.

Dean Butler

BOARD MEMBER

Mr. Butler is an experienced consumer brands marketing executive closing in on 40 years of experience. He was the founder, chairman and CEO of LensCrafters (1983-88) and founder, chairman and CEO of the Vision Express Group in Europe, Asia and South America (1988-1997). Most of the Vision Express businesses were merged with the French retail group GPS to form Grand Vision in late 1997. Dean served as a Director of 1800CONTACTS from January 1998 until the company was sold in late 2007. In addition, he is an owner and Director of Vision Express Holdings, an operator of optical stores in the Philippines, Guam, Australia and Singapore. His earlier career included fourteen years of brand management experience with Procter & Gamble (1969-1982).

Mike Nuttall

BOARD MEMBER

Mike is one of the three founders of IDEO, a world leader in design and process innovation. Since moving to the States in 1980, he has made a significant impact in the world of design, most notably by strengthening the visual appeal of technology products. His contributions have drawn corporate attention to the use of design as a source of strategic competitive advantage. From 1983 to 1991, Mike's internationally recognized firm, Matrix, won more than twenty design awards. Mike then joined forces with David Kelley Design and ID Two to form IDEO. Since then, he has led development efforts resulting in hundreds of successful computer, consumer, and medical products. In the process, Mike has built long-term working relationships with many major corporations in the US, Europe, Korea and China. Mike managed IDEO Ventures, a multimillion-dollar internal venture capital fund making strategic equity and royalty investments in IDEO's client partners. Mike has taught at a number of colleges including a course at Stanford University on Advanced Product Design and Human Factors. He holds a BA degree in Industrial Design from Leicester College of Art & Design and an MA degree from the Royal College of Art in London. Currently, Mike is involved in a variety of consulting and entrepreneurial activities.

Michael C. Ferrara

Executive Chairman

Mike took over the Adlens Group of companies in September of 2011. Mike has a track-record in driving rapid growth and performance improvements, having worked in the fields of biotechnology, retail and consumer, office furniture and instrumentation solutions.

As former CEO and President of Microfluidics International Corporation he achieved double-digit growth in three years; as CEO of X-Rite Inc.he led the corporation’s re-emergence as the global leader of its industry, and as CEO of Marine Optical Ltd, a CitiCorp Venture Capital equity company he doubled the business in eight years.

Mr. Ferrara has a science degree in electrical engineering from Villanova University and has received executive management certificates from Harvard Business School and Carnegie Mellon University.He currently serves on the Advisory Board of Villanova University’s School of Engineering.

Robert Stevens

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Rob Stevens, an Oxford University DPhil in Physics, joined Adlens permanently in May 2008 with responsibility for overseeing research, development and manufacturing of new products. Rob started his career as a design engineer with US mailing giant Pitney Bowes. Rob worked in new product development and marketing in the US and Europe. Subsequently, working both through Oxford University and his own company, PS Research, Rob spent a number of years in powertrain research for automotive companies including Shell, Jaguar Land-Rover, and Williams F1.

Gary Tillman

FINANCE AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Gary has been with Adlens since January 2007. He has financial and operational experience with high growth optical companies, spending 10 years with Vision Express in Europe.

Gary is a CPA, who first started his career in public accounting, spending 10 years with PricewaterhouseCoopers, then in 1991 went to Vision Express in England, first as Financial Director and then Chief Operating Officer.

After Vision Express was sold for $250 million, Gary moved to Switzerland and worked with Grand Vision (the company that bought Vision Express) for a year, then spent time with PSInet in Geneva, where he was brought on board to help stabilize and then sell the company.