November 28, 2023
Casambi appoints Mark McClear as new CEO
New leadership aimed at driving Casambi's expansion in smart lighting controls sector
Global smart lighting control company Casambi has announced the appointment of Mark McClear as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. This appointment marks a pivotal moment for Casambi, as McClear takes the reins from Kari Mettälä, who has led the company for the past five years.
Antti Kokkinen, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Casambi, expressed his thoughts on this transition, stating, "On behalf of the Board, I express deep gratitude to Kari Mettälä for five years of outstanding leadership. His contributions have transformed Casambi into a widely recognized international brand and have laid the foundations for Mark's work. Looking ahead, Mark is the right person to guide Casambi into the future, given his strong ability to drive results in our fastest-growing markets. His talent for fostering global collaboration will undoubtedly ensure a seamless transition and continued success for the company."
McClear, who joined Casambi in February 2022 as the General Manager for North America, brings a wealth of experience to his new role. With a 20-year legacy in the LED and SSL sectors across more than 35 countries, he has a track record of managing large organizations and profit and loss (P&L) accounts of up to $800 million. Most notably, McClear had a 10-year stint at Cree from 2005 to 2015, helping to lead Cree's lighting component business as it expanded to become one of the most significant LED component brands during the LED Revolution.
Commenting on his new role, McClear said, "It’s an honor to lead Casambi. This is an exciting juncture in the lighting industry as luminaires become increasingly smarter. From stamped metal and screw-in lamps, we've advanced to integrated LEDs, and it's now inevitable that all luminaires will soon feature embedded Bluetooth Low Energy radios and sensors. Casambi is poised to lead this transformation as the sole international lighting control platform. Our open ecosystem architecture represents a pioneering leap, surpassing the proprietary legacy systems prevalent in today's market.”
November 2022: Casambi people (L to R) Travis Laib, Mark McClear (current CEO), Kari Mettälä (then CEO) with Al Uszynski of Inside Lighting
Strategic Market Approach and Expansion
Casambi is taking a multifaceted approach to market expansion in North America, engaging in partnerships with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and focusing on lighting specification markets. The company is actively marketing to the design community and expanding its lighting agent network. McClear's familiarity with North American and global lighting channels, underscored by his frequent speaking roles at key industry events like Strategies in Light and the U.S. Department of Energy SSL R&D Workshop, positions him well to lead these initiatives.
McClear will continue to be based in the United States, not relocating to Casambi’s Helsinki headquarters. This approach to remote leadership, while less common, is not unprecedented in the industry. Similar examples include Chris Stockton, a U.S.-based CEO leading Netherlands-based Experience Brands, and Marshall Miles, leading Hangzhou, China-based Inventronics from the U.S. This trend highlights the increasingly global and interconnected nature of the lighting industry.
McClear's appointment as CEO of Casambi represents a strategic move for the company as it seeks to strengthen its position as a leader in the global smart lighting control market.
