EARS' Interview with Diederik de Stoppelaar, Secretary General at LightingEurope

Have you ever worked with a leader that inspired you in your career, and how?

I had the pleasure of working with two leaders who were very important to me; Max de Clerck, then EVP of Philips Lighting, who taught me the politics of corporate life and why we don’t need them.

The other was Marcus Billman, the CEO of Thorn Lighting, who showed me that as a leader/manager, you need to maintain a helicopter view and not be sucked in by details. The more you can delegate responsibility into the organisation, the more strategic you can think and act. 

How would you describe LightingEurope’s approach to Brussels engagement?

LightingEurope is the voice of the European lighting industry in Brussels. As such, we need to reach out to the European institutions, our members and all stakeholders in the different fields of energy as well as in collection and recycling. When it comes to market surveillance, it is good to regulate, but you also need to check that people adhere to those regulations. Regarding growth, sustainability of the industry should be one of the many drivers for regulation. We believe that excessive regulation places a drag on innovation and market acceptance of new products. 

Have you seen a change over time in the way that your industry and the association that you represent engage in the Brussels arena? If so, in what way?

Yes – the emergence of transparency. How LightingEurope engages is increasingly being shaped by this development and the growing influence of other stakeholders.

Do you think the role of social media has also prompted this change? People seem a lot more engaged with social media.

Social media is making things go faster: our industry uses Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media a lot. A good example is the LE twitter account: @LightingEurope. Unfortunately, this greater speed also allows people to make irrational statements, which means that social media can also be negative.

Have there been any major upheavals/crises in your sector?

Some years ago, there was a revolution in the lighting industry when LED lamps and light fittings were introduced. Because of this, the industry is now able to save more energy and improve the quality of light through using the Internet of Things and focusing on the needs of human beings (HCL - Human Centric Lighting). 

What is the most surprising thing you have experienced in your career, and what is the most humbling?

The most surprising thing happened when I was living and working in Germany during the late 1980s. A few days after the Berlin wall fell, I drove into Eastern Germany and Poland and was shocked to see the differences in between the east and the west.

The most humbling experience was during that same trip. In Poland, I visited an old Philips factory where the Poles were doing fantastic job making highly competitive, conventional lamps using a machine manufactured in 1938! 

What is the smallest change in your organisation that has yielded the biggest result?

When I explained to my team that it is better to listen before you talk. 

Do you see increased transparency and wider consultation as a positive or a negative development for your industry and for trade bodies in general?

Increased transparency and wider consultation are both positive developments for the lighting industry in general. It gives all stakeholders an opportunity to explain their position. A good example is that the Single Lighting Regulation is now being drafted with all stakeholders and DG Energy; it should come into force in 2018. 

As the head of a major trade association, what is a nightmare scenario for you?

A nightmare scenario would be when regulation takes over, ie., over-regulation. The main purpose of regulation should be to support users as well as producers.

What is the most difficult aspect of sharing your vision with your employees and your members?

The most difficult aspect is not so much preparing and sharing the vision, but the implementation and the consequences. LightingEurope announced its strategic roadmap 2025 at the Light and Build Fair in Frankfurt in March 2016, setting out the vision of the European Lighting Industry.

Following a round of presentations, we are now implementing this strategy. The emphasis is on three aspects of Lighting overtime, in chronological order: LEDification, Intelligent Lighting systems and Human Centric Lighting.

All these activities should take place within a circular economy plan, where the lighting industry looks not only look at collection and recycling but also at re-using/redistributing, refurbishing/remanufacturing and recycling. 

Is there anything you have personally achieved or done that would surprise people?

In today’s world, mobility is totally accepted in our working life. When I started working in 1978, it was still the norm that an employer would take care of the employees from ‘’the cradle to grave’’. I found out along the way that I was not made for this and thus started moving around, working for major lighting companies for between three and five-years periods. People were very surprised that this was accepted by the industry. 

Finally, what’s the most influential book you’ve read or film you’ve seen?

My favourite book is a motivational business fable called; ‘’Who Moved My Cheese’’ by Spencer Johnson. It’s about two mice and two little people living in a maze and they need cheese to nourish them. In the story, the characters are faced with an unexpected change: i.e. they ran out of cheese. Eventually, one of them deals with it successfully and writes on the walls of the maze what he learned from his experience. It is all about change and how you deal with it.