Harry Verhaar is Head of Global Public & Government Affairs at Signify. Harry is passionate about accelerating the worldwide transition to a more sustainable society.
At COP21 (The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference), with the Paris Agreement world leaders agreed to collectively address climate change, aiming to move our planet towards a more sustainable future.
Already about 54% of global population lives in cities, and the ‘powering’ all required activities and services in cities corresponds to close to 75% of global carbon emissions. In fact public lighting alone accounts on average for half of a cities’ energy bill. Making the switch to connected LED-lighting can cut those costs by sometimes up to 80%. And perhaps even more importantly such a transition contributes to improving urban safety and quality of life.
In ‘Benefits of upgrading city lighting' you will discover how cities can become epicenters of sustainable change by accelerating the renovation of existing infrastructure and leapfrogging to new energy-efficient technologies that are ready, reliable and available for immediate deployment.
The Future of Facade lighting
This webinar will give you insights into AI-driven facades, IoT integration, and real-time environmental interaction—helping you stay ahead of emerging design and technology trends.
People First, lighting Second
Attend this webinar(July 2026) to understand and apply a human-centred approach to lighting design that prioritises human wellbeing over architecture-driven solutions.
Can we still design consciously with light
Watch this webinar(February 2026) to explore how lighting and architectural designers can make responsible, future-ready decisions by balancing creativity, sustainability, ethics, and emerging technologies like AI.
