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Have you ever wondered what the industry's influential figures have on their desk? From Led Zeppelin concert tickets to wind-up LED torches, you can tell a lot about a person by their desk. This is why Voltimum's roving reporter, Frankie Snobel, scoped out the desk of Philips Lighting UK Director of Professional Lighting, Gerry O’Donnell.
Born and raised in South Croydon, Gerry’s interest in light began while studying Psychology at university. Graduating from Reading University, Gerry developed a key interest in visual perception and the psychological aspects of light and colour. Upon graduating, Gerry completed a retail management trainee course at Sainsbury’s, but landed his first “serious job” at Philips as an Assistant Product Manager for street lighting. Gerry then moved through various sales and marketing roles within Philips and eventually was offered the position of European Shop Lighting Sales Manager. Here Gerry managed shop lighting for major clients at a European level, identifying and implementing lighting solutions to compliment their brands. In 2003, Gerry took on the role of Director of Professional Lighting, working closely with key distributors and end users to create innovative and energy efficient lighting solutions that are both economical and sustainable.
1. Philips Dynamo MultiLED Wind-up Torch: This battery-less torch is lit with LED technology, which uses less power and will last for approximately 50,000 hours.
2. Powerball 2008 Photo: This photograph was taken of the Philips management team and their partners at the EEIBA’s Powerball 2008. “Philips is a big supporter of the EEIBA,” said Gerry.
3. Philips Lighting Website: Found at www.lighting.philips.com,
here you can find the latest news and information on all of Philips innovative lighting solutions, projects and energy saving alternatives.
4. Apple iPod: Loaded with nearly 4,000 songs, Gerry’s son has kindly built up his iPod music library. “Luckily we have the same taste in music,” said Gerry.
5. Boost Chocolate Bar: Gerry is a big chocoholic and therefore always has a stash of tasty chocolate treats on hand. “People always joke about how if I don’t have my chocolate I can be quite irritable,” laughed Gerry.
6. Big Switch Campaign Mini Guide: This guidebook is for all application areas and was created to encourage clients to use value added lamps that are of higher quality and more energy efficient. The guidebook is simple and easy to understand.
7. Led Zeppelin Reunion Ticket: Gerry considers himself very lucky to have attended this special one-off gig.
8. Football World Cup Final Ticket: Gerry attended the 1998 World Cup Final in Paris, where France played Brazil (and won). Philips, a major sponsor of this exciting event, gave Gerry an opportunity to take customers.
9. Crystal Clock Team Trophy: Gerry won this ticking trophy at an industry golf event at The Belfry in 2003.
10. Philips Golf Ball: Gerry always plays his golf games with a Philips golf ball – an easy way to identify his ball amongst a course of plain white ones.
11. Daughter’s Graduation Photograph: This photograph was taken with Gerry’s eldest daughter, Amy, at her university graduation. Amy’s studies focused on human rights and she has volunteered globally in orphanages and with victims of domestic abuse to demonstrate her passion for the subject and compassion for people. “Amy is very passionate about fairness and justice,” said a very proud Gerry.
12. Lego Block: Philips organised an insights course to help identify the energies of the team. “This course helped us understand how we interact with each other,” said Gerry.
Gerry’s Energy Block (From top to bottom)
Fiery Red – Be brief, be bright, be gone
Sunshine Yellow – Involve me
Core Blue – Give me details
Earth Green – Show me you care
13. MasterLED 7W Downlight: This LED downlight replaces the conventional 35 watt halogen, saving 80% in energy. With approximately 50,000 hours of life, the MasterLED 7W downlight is a big seller from Philips Lighting.
14. MasterLED 7W – Domestic Lightbulb Shape: Described by Gerry as “the future of lighting”, this newly launched LED lamp uses only 7 watts.
15. Blackberry: Gerry travels quite a bit in this position, so his Blackberry allows him to email whilst on the move.
16. Crystal Palace League Table: Despite being in “mid-table obscurity”, Gerry is a big fan of this football championship league team and likes to keep up to date with the latest information.
17. Tony Jacklin Photograph: Gerry met renowned British and US Open winner, Tony Jacklin, at a Christmas charity dinner. A big fan of golf, Gerry made sure to take advantage of this photo opportunity.