Gilles Pepin to serve as Executive Chairman of HumanWare and Bruce Miles appointed to the role of Chief Executive Officer

Drummondville, QUEBEC. (November 22, 2021)—HumanWare announces that Mr. Gilles Pepin, currently Chief Executive Officer, will now serve as Executive Chairman of HumanWare and has transitioned the Chief Executive Officer role to Mr. Bruce Miles since September 1, 2021.

“It has been an honor and privilege to lead this company as CEO for the last 33 years. I am pleased to now serve as chairman of the company to continue to guide HumanWare and enable more students, workers, or adults with age-related eye disease to actively participate in the world around them,” says Pepin. “Throughout my career, I have witnessed the profound impact that HumanWare technology has had in the lives of so many people who are visually impaired or experience vision loss. Above all, I am humbled to have led our talented and dedicated team. I am immensely proud of how we have pursued HumanWare’s mission to provide innovative solutions that empower people living with vision loss to fully participate in a sighted world.”

“I have full confidence in Bruce to lead HumanWare as the company’s CEO,” Pepin continued. “Over the past six years of working together, he has consistently demonstrated a strong dedication to our mission. Beyond leading global sales activities and accelerating growth, he has led initiatives that have enabled HumanWare to enter new markets, develop new customer relationships and continue to lead the industry in innovative solutions.”

“I am honored to serve as the CEO of HumanWare and to continue the journey that we have been on for nearly 35 years,” says Bruce Miles. “HumanWare is very well positioned to accelerate our mission in serving the blind and visually impaired communities with incredible life-changing innovations. Above all, I am excited to be leading the very best team in the industry to pursue our collective passion of empowering people with vision loss to live independently and fully participate in society.”

Mr. Miles adds, “I have had the pleasure of working closely with Gilles for many years and thank him for his outstanding leadership. I am pleased that I will continue to benefit from his guidance and insights moving forward.”

About Bruce Miles

For the past six years, and most recently as President of HumanWare, Bruce has led the company’s global efforts by overseeing the execution of the annual plan, including the sales, marketing, and production departments. Prior to that, he held executive-level leadership positions in various industries for more than 25 years, including more than 14 years in the optical industry with EssilorLuxottica. Bruce also serves on three boards of directors, the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA), GoodMaps “Maps with a Mission” and HumanWare. A Chartered Professional Accountant by training, he also holds an MBA from McGill University and a Bachelor of Commerce from Concordia University.

About Gilles Pepin

Since 1988, Gilles has built a solid reputation in the field of technology and visual impairment. Before founding HumanWare, he worked as a consultant for an engineering firm where he carried out several projects in the computer, telephony, and telecommunications fields. He then joined the Institut Nazareth et Louis-Braille where he took his first steps in the field of assistive technologies. Gilles holds a master’s degree in Digital Voice Processing from the University of Sherbrooke and has completed graduate studies (DEA) at the University of Rennes, France. He also studied management accounting at McGill University in Montreal and obtained his engineering degree from the Université de Sherbrooke in 1982.

About HumanWare

Founded in 1988 under the name VisuAide, HumanWare is a Quebec-based company that has been part of the Essilor group since 2013. HumanWare specializes in the design and manufacture of highly intuitive and intelligent solutions for people with vision loss or visual impairment. From electronic magnifiers to talking GPS to braille devices, HumanWare solutions help its users live independently and participate successfully in today’s world.