FGX International Hires César Melo as Chief Executive Officer

SMITHFIELD, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--FGX International, a leading eyewear designer and marketer and wholly-owned subsidiary of Essilor, announced today that it has hired César Melo as Chief Executive Officer, effective March 4, 2013. Mr. Melo arrives at FGX International after a 23-year career at Colgate-Palmolive, one of the world’s leading consumer products companies. Mr. Melo has lived and worked in the United States, Central and South America, Asia, Europe and Russia in roles of increasing responsibility in general management and marketing with Colgate-Palmolive. Mr. Melo’s final position with Colgate was Vice President – Marketing, based in Geneva, Switzerland.

“César adds a true international perspective to our business that should help us significantly increase our global presence.”

“César is an outstanding leader and brings a wealth of knowledge to FGX from the consumer packaged goods industry,” said current FGX International CEO Alec Taylor, who is retiring after seven and a half years at FGX. “César adds a true international perspective to our business that should help us significantly increase our global presence.”

“I am thrilled to become part of the executive team at FGX, building on Alec’s outstanding contributions,” Mr. Melo said. “Their market leadership in non-prescription sunglasses and over-the-counter reading glasses will serve as a strong base as we innovate in these categories with exciting new products and further expand our business globally.”

Mr. Melo is married with four children.

About FGX International

FGX International Inc. is a leading designer and marketer of non-prescription reading glasses and sunglasses with a portfolio of established, highly recognized eyewear brands including Foster Grant®, Sight Station™, Magnivision®, Gargoyles®, Anarchy®, Corinne McCormack®, SolarShield® and PolarEyes®. FGXI also holds licenses for brands such as Ironman®, Body Glove®, Disney®, Field & Stream™, Dockers®, Reebok®, Nine West®, NASCAR®, and Panama Jack®. Based in Smithfield, Rhode Island, FGXI has approximately 500 full time employees. Additional offices are located in New York City; Ormond Beach, FL; San Luis Obispo, CA; Toronto; Milan; Stoke-on-Trent, England; Mexico City; and Shenzhen, China.

About Essilor

The world’s leading ophthalmic optics company, Essilor designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of lenses to improve and protect eyesight. Its corporate mission is to enable everyone around the world to access lenses that meet his or her unique vision requirements. To support this mission, the Company allocates around €150 million to research and development every year, in a commitment to continuously bring new, more effective products to market. Essilor’s flagship brands are Varilux®, Crizal®, Definity®, Xperio®, Optifog™ and Foster Grant®. It also develops and markets equipment, instruments and services for eyecare professionals. Essilor reported consolidated revenue of €4.9 billion in 2012 and employs around 48,700 people in some 100 countries. It operates 19 plants, a total of 390 prescription laboratories and edging facilities, as well as several research and development centers around the world.