MEET THE TEAM

Kathryn has been helping clients look amazing in eyewear since she joined the practice over 20 years ago! Phew, time flies! When it comes to frame selection, styling know-how, and lens expertise, Kathryn is truly a world-class expert. No one knows more. Plenty of our clients have complex or high prescriptions and Kathryn’s personal mission is to make sure the glasses you walk out with have the flattest and thinnest lenses possible, literally to the point where you could take them to any opticians in the world and they would say ‘wow, that can’t be beaten.’ Over the years, Kathryn has become a real leader for the team and she helps us strive to deliver a consistently exceptional experience to every client, every time, no matter who you see on the Jones and Co. team, and to do it with a smile on our face!

Jess is our creative director and takes the lead on all things ‘creative’ in the practice from window displays to planning our customer appreciation events. The biggest part of Jess’s role, in addition to wowing clients, is hand-picking all our frames and ensuring that Jones And Co. has the best collection of niche design frames in the country. We work with the most respected and admired eyewear design companies in the world and Jess is in touch with them monthly to keep a steady flow of fantastic frames arriving at Jones And Co. on a weekly basis. The whole team travels to international eyewear trade fairs once a year, but Jess will usually have an additional trip to Paris or Milan by herself. It’s a real sob story, but someone has to do it! This grueling work is all in aid of finding the crème de la crème of eyewear and bringing it back to Manchester for you. Jess is the reason you’ll be treated to the most amazing selection of frames to choose from when you visit.

You’ll remember Gareth after you meet him. He’ll leave an unforgettable impression on you, in a good way! Gareth lives and breathes our philosophy of wowing clients in all aspects of the customer experience from the moment you pick up the phone or walk through the door. Having worked at Jones And Co. for over six years, Gareth complains that we have ruined his life. He can no longer enjoy a customer experience anywhere because he can’t help seeing how most businesses get the details of great service wrong. Like the little kid in The Sixth Sense sees dead people, Gareth sees bad service everywhere and he hates it. That’s why he goes above and beyond for all our clients! He is the life and soul of the Jones And Co. party and the only team member brave enough to have a pink frame in his personal eyewear wardrobe.

Deepal is a long-serving member of the Jones and Co. team and she brings her diverse eyewear dispensing experience to zone in on your individual needs to help you select the perfect eyewear. Deepal has also helped us form a strong link with Guide Dogs for the Blind, and with the help of our lovely clients, we raise thousands of pounds a year for Guide Dogs. Deepal also volunteers her own time to help with the training of new guide dog puppies and she gives new puppies in training a home for six months at a time. The only time you won’t find Deepal in the practice is when Manchester United is playing at home. Unfortunately, nothing gets in the way of her season ticket to Old Trafford!

Taylor is one of the newest members of the Jones and Co. team. She really knows her stuff and is a real people-person and we delighted to have her on the team. She has the biggest, most infectious smile in the building – despite her longer than average commute from the Yorkshire Village of Haworth (home of the Bronte sisters). Outside of Work, Taylor is a fitness fanatic, setting herself a number of physical challenges. In June she set herself the challenge of walking all 214 Wainwright walks in 12 months, and has currently completed 127. She also loves Hyrox – which involves Cross Fit style gym exercises with 1km runs between each exercise. Taylor has really made a positive mark on the team and has been getting fantastic reviews from the clients she has been helping with their eyewear choices.

Sam is one of the newest members of the Jones and Co. team but brings with him considerable experience, expertise and enthusiasm. His dedication has seen him move from Sheffield to Manchester to join the Jones and Co. team. Falling into the optical industry, after studying languages at university, Sam worked his way up, passing his professional dispensing optician exams, becoming fully qualified and even providing professional training in his previous role. Outside of Work, Sam is a keen badminton player, competing in a variety of amateur tournaments in his home city of Sheffield. He is also a self-confessed ‘fantasy nerd’ with his love of the retro board game ‘Dungeons and Dragons’.

Pri studied optometry in Cambridge and qualified with the College of Optometrists in 2011. She then fell in love with Manchester in 2016 and has been here since. With a little break to have twins, we’re delighted that Pri is back on the team and seeing clients! Pri is a big foodie, enjoys cooking, and would love to have time for more hobbies; being a mum to twins and being an optometrist extraordinaire is a full-time job! Here’s what clients say about Pri; “Lovely!” “Takes her time and is very professional and thorough.” “Detailed and careful, Pri made me feel relaxed.”

Zaheera is an exceptional optometrist and joined the Jones And Co. team back in 2018. She graduated from Manchester University in 2008 and is well-loved by Jones And Co. clients. As one five-star review says, “Zaheera is friendly, knowledgeable, thorough, and gave me the best vision I’ve ever had!” In her downtime, Zaheera enjoys oil painting and hiking as well as pottering around Chorlton!

Cat has quickly become a very popular member of the Jones and Co. optometrist team. Originally from Ballymena in County Antrim, she graduated from Glasgow Caledonian University in 2002 and brings with her a wealth of experience and expertise, and her Irish charm makes every client feel totally comfortable in the eye examination. Outside of work, Cat is a keen cyclist. She spends a lot of her free time out on the roads, and often supports charity bike rides as a member of the outriding crews. She’s seen plenty of countries by bike!

Sarah has returned to the Jones and Co. optometrist team, after taking a little time out to have her little boy, Blake. She graduated from Manchester University and loves being an optometrist. Thorough, kind, and helpful, clients rave about her! Sarah is outdoorsy and spends a lot of her spare time walking the hills of Saddleworth and the Peak District. At home, she also has a dog called Albus, a cat called Sid, and a husband who is a professional mountain biker.

Sadie is one of the newest members of the Jones and Co. team and is the ‘‘hostess with the mostest!’’ Her background in hospitality combined with her degree in Couture Fashion means that not only will she give you a warm welcome and look after you from the moment you arrive, but she also has an eye for style and is quickly developing a passion for eyewear!

Mark is one of the newest members of the Jones And Co. team but don’t be fooled by the babyface, Mark brings with him considerable experience, expertise and enthusiasm! Years ago, his dad encouraged him to apply for a summer job in a local opticians so he could pay his own way for an interrailing trip he wanted to do around Europe. Mark enjoyed his summer job so much that he went back and made it his career, working his way up, passing his professional dispensing optician exams, becoming fully qualified and even becoming practice manager in his previous role. Mark really knows his stuff and is a real people-person and we are lucky and delighted to have him on the team. Originally from Dublin, Mark moved to Manchester at the age of four. It turns out he was always destined for optics – after a bit of digging into his family history he discovered his great aunt used to have an opticians in Dublin. A passion for amazing eyewear really is in the blood. Mark is also a keen a sportsman, and fantastic tennis player (he tells us). He’s also an avid Manchester United fan, so at the time of writing he is happy, happy, happy.