James Chen was born in Hong Kong and is the third generation in a family of successful businessmen and entrepreneurs, having learnt his trade at the feet of his father and grandfather. In 2011 he set up the charity Vision for a Nation in Rwanda with the aim of providing nationwide access to eye care and affordable glasses to a country of 12 million people. A stunning success, eyecare services are due to reach 15,000 villages across the country by the end of 2017. In 2016 he launched Clearly, a global campaign to enable access to glasses for everyone in the world who needs them.
