Supported by International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) and event partner K-LITE Industries, LED Summit knowledge forum organized by Messe Frankfurt India, united successful women entrepreneurs from the lighting industry to address the challenges that female employees continue to face in the arena of lighting.
In India, and across most parts of the world, women are seen actively taking leadership roles in private firms as well as professional bodies and industry associations. While this is very much prevalent in the lighting design segment – other disciplines such as manufacturing and sales in lighting still suffer from very poor representation of women.
With International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) as the knowledge partner, the LED Summit webinar organized in early August, united some of the most influential & successful women entrepreneurs from the lighting industry to discuss the topic of ‘Women & The Lighting Profession – Understanding their role’.
The panelists were forthcoming in highlighting the struggles and prejudices they face as women in the lighting profession: “In academics, there are a vast number of women going in to learn lighting design, but very few of them actually end up becoming a part of the industry,” shared Shailee Trivedi, IALD Member and IIID (Institute of Indian Interior Designers) ChairElect.
Further elaborating on the issue, Surbhi Jindal who is also the India Ambassador for Women in Lighting (WIL) added how WIL has been working relentlessly to profile, celebrate and support the women working in lighting. She also shared how women are facing the brunt of the severely affected job market due to the current pandemic.
The event partner for LED Summit, K-LITE, is a well-known player in lighting manufacturing, investing in innovation, creativity & product design as well as creating opportunities and supporting aspiring women. The company employs over 50% women under its workforce across the spectrum.
An influential lighting professional herself and one of the panelists at the virtual session, Sharmila Kumbhat, Director, K-LITE described the significance of women employees and leaders in the industry: “Lighting being both an art and science, women by their very nature have the insights and temperament for art, architecture and design. Yet it is important to overcome these gender barriers and allow talent to come through regardless of gender.”
While strongly contributing to women empowerment, K-LITE has been an equal opportunity employer with women working in manufacturing, from welding to heavy machine operations, and to management roles.
Empowerment of women in lighting profession is not only a case of gender equity but more so about celebrating the accomplishments of female professionals to inspire the next generation of women workers and decision makers.
As one of India’s leading lighting trade fair, LED Expo stands true to this cause and aims to continue to provide a B2B platform where lighting professionals can gain equal access to sourcing and networking opportunities through its New Delhi edition, on 18 – 20 November 2021 at India Expo Mart, Greater Noida.
LED Expo New Delhi is part of Messe Frankfurt’s Light + Building Technology fair portfolio headed by the biennial Light + Building event in Frankfurt, Germany. The next edition will be held from 13 – 18 March 2022.
Messe Frankfurt organizes a number of trade fairs for the light and building technology sectors in Asia, Argentina, Russia and the UAE. For more information, please visit: www.messefrankfurt.com.
