LIA inaugurates new President
(UK) – The Lighting Industry Association (LIA) marked 12 successful months at its recent Annual General Meeting and Lunch, where the new President, David Barnwell, was inaugurated.
Held at Drapers’ Hall in London, the AGM and Lunch officially marked Barnwell’s (Holophane Europe Ltd) tenure as the 2024/25 LIA President. He was passed the presidential chains from outgoing official Matt Carpenter (Sylvania Lighting).
LIA CEO Ayça Donaghy, said: “We’re delighted to welcome David as the new President and are looking forward to working closely with him in this role. On behalf of the LIA, I’d also like to thank Matt for his excellent tenure; it has been a pleasure to see him representing The LIA so wonderfully over the past two years.”
The event was also celebrated The LIA’s Annual Award winners. Those taking home the trophies were:
- Joanne Percy – LIA Advanced Interior Certificate, sponsored by Fox Lux
- Emily-Rose Maule – LIA Advanced Exterior Certificate, sponsored by Holophane Europe Ltd
- Lally Widelska – LIA Certificate award, sponsored by Mackwell
- Lumineux – LIAQA Award for Commitment to Quality and Compliance
- Energy Efficient Solutions – LIAQA Award for Consistent Quality and Compliance
- Fox Lux – LIAQA ICEL Emergency Lighting Award
The President’s Award, recognising individuals for their outstanding dedication, commitment, and contribution to the lighting sector, broke away from tradition with the presentation of two awards to Andy Hughes (Zumtobel Group), who will assume position as LIA’s Technical Board as Chair, and Lawrence Barling, LIA’s Senior Technical Manager and is the first ever staff member to receive such an accolade.
As part of the 2024 Talent Supply and Development Strategy, students from Nottingham Trent University were in attendance, showcasing their project design brief submissions and decorative lighting prototypes. These shortlisted entries were reviewed by industry representatives at the event, with the overall winner announced during the award ceremony.
Jessica Nagle, winner of the programme, says: “The day was such a good experience, and I really enjoyed it.” The Nottingham Trent University project design brief was sponsored by CTO Lighting and led by CTO’s Managing Director, Matthew Dabbs.
Reflecting on the day, Donaghy says: “This year’s event saw a record number of attendees, with tickets selling out incredibly early. This was fantastic to see and gave the event a real buzz, with great energy and lots of rich discussion. It’s also a testament to how much The LIA has grown its profile and contribution to the lighting sector over the past 12 months. Our events are incredibly popular, and the AGM and Annual Lunch was no exception. We are already looking forward to next year.”
