Tom Griffiths
Partner & Managing Director @Scotlens
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WORK HISTORY
Partner & Managing Director @Scotlens
Scotlens is a GP contact lens manufacturer in Scotland. Founded in the early 1970’s by Jack Brown, an optometrist who didn’t like the quality of the contact lenses he was being offered … he decided to make his own! In a granny flat he built in his house. Scotlens was born. Jack was one of the early pioneers of what eventually became GP lenses, and the first in the UK to play with Ortho-K night lenses in the late 1970’s. Scotlens achieved the first CE mark in Europe for an Ortho-K lens.In 2003, Jack’s son Scott Brown, also an optometrist, joined the business. In 2014 he bought it. Like his dad, an innovating entrepreneur obsessed with quality, Scott developed the range of custom fit GP lenses you see today. A small independent manufacturer, proudly punching above its weight with what many state to be the best quality GP lenses in the UK. We don’t disagree.My part of the story? A Scotlens Nocturnal ‘night lens’ changed my son\'s life (see section above for more about night lenses and my story). Amazed I\'d never heard of these lenses, I met Scott in 2019 and we hit it off. These lenses were unknown because they are called Orthokeratology (Ortho-K) lenses. Opticians couldn’t explain them, patients couldn’t understand them. During lockdown Scott and I played with some ideas. I became Scott’s official new business partner in 2021. We decided to write the next chapter: disrupt the global Ortho-K market by re-branding them as ‘Night Lenses’. We launched nightlenses.com and kicked off the #nightlenses revolution!Proud also to launch the #MyopiaChat and #supportINDEPENDENTopticians campaigns.WATCH: Jess below see for the first time without glasses/day lenses with a Scotlens Nocturnal night lens -\"I can see!\"\"I have my eye-sight back!\". We transform lives. What an amazing business to be in.
EDUCATION
The University of Manchester
Bachelor's degree
ABOUT TOM GRIFFITHS
Entrepreneur, innovator, constructive disruptor, social entrepreneur - Sunday Times Top 100 Entrepreneur & Disruptor - Top 100 Most Influential People in the UK Travel Industry In his foreword to Tom\'s second book, Sir Richard Branson said of Tom that \"His energy and enthusiasm is infectious\"* Early entrepreneurial journey*@ 22: published first book ‘Before You Go’ (backpacking advice)@ 23: Young Travel Writer of the Year @ 24: gapyear.com launched onto one of the world’s first social network platforms (1998)@ 25: Published second book ‘The Virgin Travellers’ Handbook\'@ 26: £1.65m VC funding into gapyear.com, grew global brand - appeared most weeks on TV, radio & print as the global Gap Year spokesperson - 2010 gapyear.com sold to Flight Centre. Exit 20••••13 moved to N.Ireland. Focus on business consultancy (innovation, disruption, fresh direction, digital marketing) & start-ups * Ideas originated by Tom | gapyear.com days * HSBC Gap Year bank account,\'Gap Year\' Insurance, £50m UK Government ‘Gap Year’ project funded by Chancellor Gordon Brown MP, Virgin Blue \"Why Walkabout when you can Flyabout\' campaign, Global Backpacker Hostel Fire Safety Campaign, Gap Year Magazine, The Gap Year Card [first Prepaid Mastercard travel discount card], Fair Trade Volunteering + countless creative campaigns over that decade * 20••••20 | N.Ireland projects *~ 100 day plan re-brand & digital strategies EnterpriseNI Network digital platform, Sea Source (NI) fishing co-op, NI Fish Producers Organisation, DR Maritime Assets ~ 100 day start-up brandNI (crowd-sourced collaboration movement for NI),#loveto (UK\'s largest digital arts campaign 2014/15), DERRYcreatives, MADE in Mourne, Dundonald Art Corridor ~ Originator: 90 Minute start-up challenge 100 people, crowd source a business idea, launch the business (logo, website, social, marketing)- start to finish: 90 minutes flat!~ Disruption concepts Movebuddi: the end of the estate agent, Fresh Catch: sea to plate, Street\'AR\'t: AR street art sales platform * Media campaigns * Campaigned for more than a decade to cut backpacker deaths: Malaria, Hostel fire safety, Travel Insurance, STIs. In NI:\'support artisanNI producers\',\'Buy local | support NI fishing families\'* Advisor/speaker*- Government advisor to FCO, Home Office (UK)- Keynote conference speaker, flown as far as Australia & USA to liven up the debate 2021 | Joined Scott @ Scotlens.com - Launched the #nightlenses revolution & nightlenses.com - Launched myopiachat.org: campaigning for better UK myopia awareness for parents
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