New President and CEO Derek Hodkey joins Orbis

With 25 years working in health-related fields, Derek brings with him a wealth of leadership experience that spans across international development, R&D, life sciences, non-profit as well as in the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors.

He joins the Orbis family from Counterpart International, an INGO that partners with leaders, organizations and social sector networks to build inclusive, sustainable communities in which people thrive. Before his role as Counterpart’s Chief Operating Officer which he served for the past six years, Derek spent eight years at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI).

As a scientist, he began his career at Merck & Co, initially as a chemist, but went on to hold several roles over the next 12 years – including Director, Resource & Research Planning – before moving into a senior management position at Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Cambridge Healthtech Associates Inc.

Derek holds an MBA from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Akron.

With his rich expertise in the health space and background leading teams globally, Derek will no doubt drive the Orbis family from strength to strength and our efforts to revolutionize the future of eye care.

“For more than 25 years, I’ve worked in a health-related field, and the chance to come back to those roots and join Orbis is exciting,” says Hodkey. “The organization has achieved great successes, and I’m truly looking forward to continuing this work to improve the quality of life for those in greatest need, especially children.”

His appointment follows the retirement of Bob Ranck, who led Orbis for over four years. We’d like to thank Bob for all of the tremendous achievements he’s made transforming lives through the quality of eye care. We wish him all the best for the future.

We’d like to congratulate Derek on his new role leading Orbis into its next chapter. Welcome to the Orbis family!