Timothy Sear

Mr Timothy Sear (BA Commerce 1960) – Former President and Chief Executive Officer, Alcon Laboratories

A graduate in Commerce and Economics, Tim has pursued a highly successful career in the pharmaceutical industry for over 50 years. This culminated in his appointment as President and CEO of Alcon Inc, the world’s leading ophthalmic company. Now retired, he is still based in America, his home for more than two decades.

After leaving Manchester in 1960, Tim won a scholarship to the University of Copenhagen to study International Economics. He went on to gain a further scholarship to Indiana University, where he received an MBA in International Business.

Following a successful few years with pharmaceutical and nutritional specialists Mead Johnson & Company, including spells in Africa, the Far East and Australia, he joined eye care firm Alcon International in 1971, as area VP for Australasia and the Far East. The move proved to be life-changing. Tim’s success in helping Alcon penetrate the Japanese market saw him relocate to Texas with wife Judith and their four children, going on to become Alcon’s President and CEO. He retired from Alcon in 2004, but Tim still fondly remembers ringing the bell at the New York Stock Exchange on the day of Alcon’s successful IPO in 2002.

A vocal advocate of education for all, Tim and Judith, who he met while also a student at Manchester, continue to support the University from their Texan home. They are active members and major contributors to NAFUM, the North American Foundation for The University of Manchester. Their financial backing has helped several students from the developing world study in Manchester via Equity and Merit scholarships – a proud legacy for two exceptional alumni.