Page 104 - Nov- Dec 2024

“
I SEE IMMENSE

POTENTIAL IN INDIA

AND OUR COLLABORATION WITH

STERLING... ”

Thomas A. Burkhardt, President of Marchon Eyewear Inc., and Ketan Parikh, MD of
Sterling Group, recently visited New Delhi. In an insightful interview with The Indian
Optician (TIO), Burkhardt delves into the legacy of Marchon Eyewear, one of the world's
leading designers, manufacturers, and distributors of premium eyewear and sunwear.
Specialising in high-end fashion, lifestyle, and performance brands, Marchon is
renowned for its innovative approach to eyewear. As a subsidiary of VSP Vision Care, the
US-based company continues to shape the global eyewear industry. Read on to discover
more about the brand's remarkable journey and its future in the eyewear sector.

The Indian Optician (TIO): Let’s start with a Mumbai’s and Delhi’s energy have been
brief introduction of yourself and the reason for fascinating and overwhelming – it’s like
visiting India. nothing I’ve seen before, even compared to
New York. There’s construction everywhere,
Thomas A. Burkhardt (TB): I was born and and a palpable optimism about the future,
raised in Germany but have also lived in the UK, which isn’t something you find in all parts
and Switzerland, and I’ve been in the US since of the world. It’s been a busy but insightful
2010. I joined Marchon in 2016, initially leading couple of days, and I see immense potential
brand management and product development, in India and our collaboration with Sterling.
and became President in 2022. Though I’ve been
in the eyewear industry for eight years, I feel like a TIO: You’ve successfully grown several
newcomer, as many colleagues have decades of iconic brands like Lacoste, Ferragamo, Nike
experience. and Calvin Klein. What do you believe are
the key factors that differentiate a good
I’ve wanted to visit India for years, and now, brand strategy from a great one on a global
with the market’s growing importance, it is scale?
the right time. This visit is to meet the team,
experience the retail environment, interact with TB: It’s a good question, and it really
customers, and gather feedback. While we gets to the core of what I was taught to do
receive updates during board meetings and trade as a marketer, so I should have an answer
shows, nothing replaces firsthand experience. ready. The key factor is consistency in the

98 | THE INDIAN OPTICIAN | NOV-DEC 2024 INTERVIEW