A week of news - all change at the AOP

The Association of Optometrists has caught everyone here by surprise at the announcement that longstanding CEO Bob Hughes is leaving the organisation.

And so the search begin for a successor, with Hughes having held down the role for seven years. All this comes at a time of real change, with the AOP recently investing millions on a new headquarters in Central London.

In the meantime, Richard Carswell, deputy chief executive at the AOP, will take the reigns, but a permanent leader cannot come quickly enough.

The transition to the brand new Clerkenwell site has not been an easy one, with some security issues to begin with. The new appointment needs to be capable of steadying the ship.