As a brand operating in the commercial lighting space, iGuzzini has made a huge impact on the industry with its innovative products and commitment to sustainable development. Innovation is a part of their DNA, and the company is committed to creating a future where lighting is smart, sustainable, and focused on the wellbeing and longevity of our community and environment. They were the first to talk about light pollution in the 1990s with creative and impactful advertising campaigns, furthering the cause of sustainable development via lighting.
We caught up with iGuzzini’s CEO Cristiano Venturini, on his visit to the Dubai EXPO 2020, to talk more about the company’s values, goals, and what lies ahead.
Values Are Fundamental
“My words reflect not only the brand’s values by my own as well, so it’s fundamental to find people who share the same approach,” says Cristiano.
As a company, iGuzzini prides itself on its innovation and sustainable approaches, and this is clearly visible in its product portfolio. By ensuring they only hire people who share those values, they’re able to maintain a culture of sustainable innovation.
“People think I’m joking when I say this, but I really do believe I have the best job. We’re called upon to light up the beauty around the world, which is true. Just look at what we’ve done at the EXPO site! We’ve lit up the amazing infrastructure they’ve built. Beauty is one of our key values, along with innovation, integrity, humanity, and openness. These are our five values. And believe me, we work every day with these at the forefront. Whatever we do, we do according to these values.”
With innovation being a pillar of their company values and culture, it’s no surprise iGuzzini is looking into trends defining the industry. After thoroughly analysing global trends, they’ve identified key areas to focus on. “These aren’t new – they’ve just been accelerated by the pandemic,” he explains. “We need sources that must be flexible, modular, and adaptable because this is what the world needs now. We’re also working on the digitalisation of connectivity and sustainability. In the end, we want to enhance the quality of life of our communities worldwide through lighting.”
“We really want the lighting world to have a positive input on the communities. We want everyone to understand the potential and the importance of having the right qualitative system of lighting, because that makes an incredible difference.”
– Cristiano Venturini, Chief Executive Officer, iGuzzini
A Culture of Innovation
Industry veterans, especially those in the lighting industry, will remember iGuzzini for their famous advertising campaign in the 1990s on the effect of light pollution. No other company was doing something about it at the time, let alone even thinking about the issue. Being a forward-thinking organization, this is what has set iGuzzini apart over the years. We couldn’t help but ask Cristiano how they’ve maintained that creative and innovative spark over the years.
“There was really nobody opting for the communication style and the topics that we were advertising in the nineties. No one was standing up for this issue. At the time, iGuzzini wanted to highlight and start a cultural discussion on light pollution. And thirty years ago this was not common, in fact, I would go so far as to say what we were doing was pretty unique. We established this cultural dialect regarding sustainability and the environment before anyone else did. When I became CEO, I got the mandate that it was fundamental to build our strategy on this DNA, and culture of our values side by side with constant innovation. In the last three years, at least, I’m evolving the company towards a more modern approach, but staying true to this culture and values.”
“We want to be practical as well. This means we don’t just want to stop at our factories covered by independent production of energy for almost 30 percent of all the consumption, we don’t want to simply produce or use recycled materials. We’re going beyond and thinking about connectivity, longevity, design and culture. So here, I stress again, the fact that we are very interconnected to our past informs our culture. We really want the lighting world to have a positive input on the communities. We want everyone to understand the potential and the importance of having the right qualitative system of lighting, because that makes an incredible difference. In addition to culture, we’re trying to be more data-driven as well in our approach to design. These strategies are what we believe will benefit the community in the long run.”
The Future of iGuzzini
“At least in the coming years, I expect a new balance between what we can call the old world and what we now refer to as the new world after COVID. Where people will rebalance their private life and their professional life. And to that balance, we need to add flexibility and adaptability. The ultimate goal is to be happy, and not stressed out and tired. It’s going to be fundamental to us as a company whether we’re providing products and services, to help with this balance and wellbeing.”
