Coming full circle but with a different lens!

Parth Shah, Lead Clinical Performance Consultant (CPC), qualified as an optometrist at Specsavers in 2003. Since then, his journey has taken him from the clinic to the classroom, the boardroom, and even the football pitch. With a PhD from Aston and an Executive MBA from Cambridge University, he brings a beautiful blend of clinical excellence and commercial acumen. Parth tells us about his journey and why he returned to Specsavers in 2024 to lead a new chapter

My winding career path started at Specsavers

“When I qualified as an optometrist at Specsavers in 2003, I never imagined the winding path my career would take. After a year in practice, I returned to the classroom to pursue a PhD at Aston University, where I also taught final-year clinics. That experience sparked a passion for mentoring and clinical development that has stayed with me ever since.

>Post-PhD, I spent three years in healthcare consultancy outside of optics, before taking on my own independent practice in 2012. Running that business for a decade taught me the intricacies of strategy, leadership, and resilience. Alongside this, I had the privilege of working as a sports vision consultant with a Premier League football club, focusing on vision training in goalkeepers (vital when it comes to saving goals!). Pursuing my passion for growth, I also served as a Trustee for the College of Optometrists and completed an Executive MBA at Cambridge, which deepened my understanding of business leadership in healthcare.

By the end of 2022, I sold my practice and found myself at a crossroads. I wanted a role that would allow me to combine my clinical expertise with strategic influence; something that would stretch me and allow me to contribute meaningfully to the profession. That is when the CPC role caught my eye.

Coming back to Specsavers

Joining Specsavers again in 2024 felt like coming full circle, but with a completely different lens. Within just four months, I was fortunate to become the Lead CPC for the Greater London division. My role as Lead is to drive clinical excellence across the division. I lead a team of highly capable senior clinicians, and seek not to micromanage, but to set direction, remove friction, and empower them to make an impact. I work closely with our Director of Optometry to ensure our teams have the tools, support, and clarity they need to thrive.

Blending clinical knowledge with commercial experience

For optometrists who’ve been in leadership roles for many years and are looking for something fresh, the CPC role is a brilliant opportunity. It’s a chance to blend clinical and commercial knowledge, influence business success, and build strong relationships with partners and colleagues. It’s not a standard 9–5 job, and it does involve travel (around 60% of the week in stores), but there is flexibility too. I work from home two days a week, and the role accommodates family life and personal commitments. It’s about give and take.

Here’s ‘why Specsavers’

Some may hesitate when they hear the name ‘Specsavers’. They picture a huge corporate machine where individuality gets lost. That couldn’t be further from the truth. What has surprised me most is how deeply Specsavers cares about its mission (to change lives through better sight and hearing), the people in our business, and the communities we serve. The culture is inclusive, friendly, and refreshingly un-corporate. You’re not just a cog in the wheel here; you really do make a huge impact.

Further proof is that we’re still driven by our original founders, and that entrepreneurial spirit runs through everything we do. So, if you’re an optometrist reading this and you’re excited by the idea of combining your clinical leadership with strategic influence and commercial acumen, building relationships, and enjoying a rewarding career, then becoming a CPC might just be the next best step for you”.