Optician Awards: Dispensing Optician of the Year James Dawson on his win

James Dawson is described by his colleagues as a ‘walking encyclopedia’ of knowledge about lenses, frames and fashion.

Indeed, beyond his primary role as a locum dispensing optician in the Midlands, 2015’s Optician Awards Dispensing Optician of the Year has managed to take on a variety of other roles in the profession including as an AOP council member, practice and corporate consultant, educator and marketer of frames.

Dawson started his career as an optical assistant with Dollond and Aitchison before training as a dispensing optician. He went from there into management for independent, multiple and supermarket retail optical stores.

‘My heart was always in dispensing so I decided to go back to my roots and become a locum. This gave me a greater insight into opportunities and allowed me to pass on my knowledge and set up to add consultancy to my CV,’ he says.