Meet the shortlist: Jean-Franck Pineau

As you read this, a panel of expert opticians worldwide is assessing submissions by six outstanding opticians from across the globe, all of whom have been shortlisted for the title “International Optician of the Year 2021”.

Over the coming weeks you can meet all the shortlisted candidates. It is impossible to include everything that they have done in a few short paragraphs, but we hope you find them to be inspiring role models for the profession.

Jean-Franck Pineau is the General Manager of Optique PK3 in Cholet (Maine et Loire) and creator of CONTIGO training system. He has worked as an optician for four decades. He says, “During this long period, I have been motivated, among other things, by the constant evolution of the activity. The pleasure of accomplishing my task has become a real passion. Permanent questioning, from the upheaval to the tsunami … how fulfilling.”

Jean-Franck started in 1979 with a CAP (Professional Aptitude Certificate) as a sales fitter in eyewear. At that time, there was no optical branch at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Angers. He says, “My concrete training took place in the field. my mentors have accompanied me throughout all these years with a key word: professionalism. I had to express my competence, demonstrate rigor and honesty. These values ​​are anchored in me forever. When I was appointed as a store manager, I made every effort to pass them on to my team.”

Optique PK3 was created in 1972 and now has 11 employees. Jean-Franck has been a director since 1990. In 1997 he created a new business model in the form of the practice OPTIMIZ as part of the overall business to reply to the evolution and offer of care. OPTIMIZ now has six employees. Jean-Franck says, “As store manager, I devote my energy to excelling our customer journey: humanization must be the key word in operating methods. I strive to make my teams feel the real pleasure of the satisfaction of clients. I regularly carry out training on all products: lenses, frames and equipment.”

In 1999, as a forerunner of EDI operations, Jean-Franck implemented fixed facing and automatic restocking. He says, “My entire team has been integrated into the management of product presentation, weekly restocking and selection of products in pairs.”

Jean-Franck has participated in SILMO every year for 30 years, soaking up the upcoming trends, discovering new technologies and building bridges with distributor and manufacturer partners. He says, “My knowledge of the terrain allowed them to bridge the delta between expectations and their product offerings. To my great satisfaction, I was able to work with some national and international designers to develop products.”

He has also created a dry eye department with a collection of glasses, with removable silicone skirts, a range of specialized products related to the pathology and trained dry eye experts.

Jean-Franck has implemented innovative interactions between the store and the customers. He organized a discovery show with partners including Swarovski and Medas, showcasing binoculars, microscopes, binocular magnifiers and astronomical glasses. Local primary schools took part with great interest.

In 2019 Jean-Franck created CONTIGO, a structure which follows/accompanies and trains teams, principally in the optical sector. Jean-Franck says, “I want to promote the profession by drawing on experience and by doing share the values ​​that I defend. I make this reflection my own: “It is the experience of the past and the reflection of the present that project us into the future.”