OWA Talks Podcast

Welcome to the OWA Talks podcast from the Optical Women's Association! Our two hosts, Carissa and Tatiana, interview esteemed guests who connect, inspire, and lead women in the optical, optometry, and ophthalmology industries.

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OWA Talks Podcast

Jim McGrann, Advancing Eyecare

July 01, 2025

Charismatic and respected eyecare industry legend, Jim McGrann, joins OWA Talks to share his passion for the industry and shed a light on the benefits of ‘spreading your wings’ in optical.

About the guest:

Jim McGrann is an engaging, decisive and adaptable leader with a demonstrated history of delivering results in the healthcare, insurance, technology, supply chain and consulting industries. Mr. McGrann is an experienced CEO with a passion for helping businesses win in the marketplace while growing profitably and achieving change amid order, and order amid change. Mr. McGrann possesses the ideal mix of business skills, technology expertise and creativity to lead in today’s rapidly evolving marketplace. He has been a C-Level executive for 25+ years and serves on both business and not-for-profit boards of directors.

Mr. McGrann is the CEO of Advancing Eyecare, a leader in the eyecare instrumentation marketplace established to offer the best products and service solutions in the ophthalmic equipment industry. Prior to joining Advancing Eyecare, Mr. McGrann was the Chairman & CEO of PECAA | Healthy Eyes Advantage a solutions company that empowers independent eye care professionals to succeed in the rapidly evolving optical industry. This business was sold to VSP Vision in September 2022.

Prior to joining Healthy Eyes Advantage, Mr. McGrann was the President & CEO of VSP Global (now VSP Vision), a $5.3B vertically integrated healthcare organization with the mission of helping people see. He successfully navigated the needs of a complex set of stakeholders, including 83M customers, 60K clients, 37K doctors, 6K global employees & numerous business partners including fashion houses, lens & lab, software and eyewear companies.

From December 2008 to November 2011, before becoming CEO of VSP Global, Mr. McGrann served as VSP Global’s President of Eyefinity, the largest practice management and electronic health record company in the Optical industry serving 25K doctors, VSP Global’s Chief Technology Officer and President of VSP Vision Care, the largest healthcare company in the world (by membership) providing vision benefits to 83M consumers (including 1 in 4 Americans).

From December 2011 to September 2015, while President of VSP Vision Care, Mr. McGrann focused on winning in the marketplace and the business grew by $1.02B (34%) and 23.7M members (42%) while delivering record EBITDA and NIBT. He also led the creation and strategic development of VSP Global’s innovation lab, The Shop. Mr. McGrann leveraged techniques such as design thinking, user-centered design and nexus management to successfully launch The Shop in a three-month period.

While President of VSP Vision Care, Mr. McGrann was Chairman of the Board for the National Association of Vision Care Plans (NAVCP). The NAVCP is the national association established to act as the unified voice representing the managed vision care industry. Mr. McGrann was elected as Chairman by his peers at competing organizations.