The Polaris Award
The Polaris Award, presented for the first time in 2026, honors an individual dedicated to promoting the mission of the OWA globally. Long recognized as a universal navigational tool, Polaris, aka the North Star, represents guidance, purpose, and a reminder to stay true to one's path.
Since 1997, the OWA has maintained its course of supporting women in the optical industry. Its success comes from the strength and passion of its members, making it a powerful source of inspiration, leadership, and resilience internationally.
All Polaris Award Recipients
Alessandra Senici
2026 Honoree
Alessandra Senici is a pioneering leader in the optical industry whose contributions have helped to shape education and drive awareness around topics such as vision care, practice management, and people development. She currently serves as Head of the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, a registered charitable organization reflecting the global commitment of EssilorLuxottica to eliminate uncorrected poor vision in a generation. The Foundation brings together EssilorLuxottica’s philanthropic, advocacy actions and investments.
Most recently, Alessandra was Head of Leonardo, the most comprehensive digital learning platform for the vision care world, a growing ecosystem she and her team at EssilorLuxottica built from the ground up. To date, eyecare professionals, employees and other stakeholders have enjoyed 13 million hours of content on topics ranging from the digital transformation of the industry to growing the myopia management category.
Alessandra led Investor Relations for Luxottica for over a decade, helping to guide the company through its Italian and NYSE listings. Later, as Head of both Investor Relations and Corporate Communications, she was part of the executive team leading the merger of Essilor and Luxottica in 2018; her steadfast presence has served as an anchor during the company’s most significant moments.