London, United Kingdom, July 2026 — Specsavers has appointed Chara Balasubramaniam as its Global Talent & Development Director, strengthening its global people leadership as the organization continues to build future-ready capabilities. In her new role, Chara will lead Specsavers’ global talent and development agenda, shaping strategies for leadership development, talent management, learning, and talent attraction. Working closely with the Executive Board, People & Organisation team, and senior leaders, she will help develop leadership capability, accelerate learning, and ensure the organization has the talent required to deliver its long-term business strategy.
Prior to joining Specsavers, Chara served as Vice President – Future Skills & Learning at bp, where she led initiatives focused on building future workforce capabilities and advancing enterprise-wide learning strategies. Before that, she was Global Learning and Development Director at Diageo, driving global learning initiatives and leadership development programs that strengthened organizational capability across the company’s international operations.
Earlier, Chara held senior global learning leadership roles at Novartis Oncology and Novartis, serving as Global Head of Learning and Head of Global Development University, respectively. In these positions, she developed enterprise learning strategies focused on future skills, digital transformation, clinical development, data science, and capability building, supporting innovation and organizational growth across global pharmaceutical operations.
Before Novartis, Chara spent more than seven years with Bayer, where she held several leadership positions including Director of Corporate Innovation, Global Talent Management (Learning and Training), and Head of Learning Innovation and Design. She was instrumental in establishing innovation academies, advancing global learning frameworks, and driving digital learning transformation across the organization. During this period, she also founded Sports-Educated, a consultancy focused on learning and development for elite sports organizations. Earlier in her career, she spent more than a decade with the University of London (St George’s) in a series of leadership roles in e-learning, educational technology, and international healthcare education projects, and also served as a Project Manager at Cancer Research UK, leading digital learning and education initiatives.
With over 25 years of international experience spanning learning and development, talent management, leadership capability, innovation, digital learning, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, energy, consumer goods, and higher education, Chara has established herself as a globally respected leader in people development and organizational transformation. Her appointment underscores Specsavers’ commitment to investing in leadership excellence, continuous learning, and talent development to support its future growth ambitions.
About Specsavers
Founded more than 40 years ago by optometrists Doug and Mary Perkins, Specsavers has grown into the world’s largest privately owned optical group, providing high-quality, affordable eye care and hearing services. The company was established with a vision of making professional eyecare accessible to everyone while delivering outstanding value and customer service.
Today, Specsavers operates across 12 countries and employs approximately 41,000 colleagues worldwide. Through its continued investment in clinical excellence, innovation, and people development, the company remains committed to helping millions of customers improve their vision and hearing while creating rewarding career opportunities for its global workforce.
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