Selected by the North American
magazine CIO LOOK as one of the "Revolutionary CEOs To
Watch in 2023", Luca M. Meinardi has released a revealing interview published
on the global business magazine platform. Read full content here or at the link CIO LOOK.
"Effective leadership is one of the single most important drivers behind the performance. Successful companies employ skilled leaders in every key position. CEOs know this and are in constant search of people who embody great leadership qualities and character.
Good leaders develop a vision. Great leaders, on the other hand, take this vision, bring it to life, and follow through on it – leading to real results and outcomes. It’s one thing to be visionary; it’s another thing to turn vision into results.
Staying focused on outcomes, taking time to engage in priority setting, and getting to the roots of efficiency are all qualities of a revolutionary leader. Standing out with proficiency and attribute that exhibit sheer determination and brilliance is Luca Meinardi, Chief Executive Officer of Griven.
Under the coherent leadership, the company’s vision and mission statements summarize the essence of the business: to steadily grow within both domestic and international architectural outdoor lighting markets as a genuine, reliable partner for all its customers with a consistent attitude towards innovation.
Moreover, Griven’s respect for the environment, its tireless commitment to sustainability, steady focus on quality, and unlimited customization capabilities drive the organization towards the development of innovative solutions that stand out for their distinctiveness and efficiency in an increasingly competitive market.
In an interview with CIOLook, Mr Meinardi shares valuable facts that highlight his professional tenure and his journey in the dynamic architecture niche.
Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at Griven. What challenges have you had to overcome to reach where you are today?
During the last 25 years, I have been working in different market fields mainly in the commercial, PR, marketing, general consultancy, and top management areas. Since 2004, I have focused my expertise on the lighting industry, where I had the opportunity of working side by side with world-leading designers and architects, at first within top lighting companies, and later as an independent consultant.
My journey with Griven began in November 2019 when I decided to face this challenge. Looking back, I am now very proud of what I and my team have achieved in this relatively short period, a thorough company renovation that will take us very far.
Tell us something more about your company and its mission and vision; how does your company thrive towards enabling advancements in the dynamic business arena?
In our company’s vision and mission statements we have summarized the essence of our business: to steadily grow within both domestic and international architectural outdoor lighting markets as a genuine, reliable partner for all our customers.
We are determined to bring our passion for ideas and innovation to combine with our history of quality and values to reach excellence through our continuous R&D achievements, consistent quality standards, and sustainable and eco-friendly attitude while showing commitment towards truthful human relationships and respect for people. I think that behaving with consistency in every situation is a win-win decision.
Enlighten us on how you have been impacting the architectural lighting niche through your expertise in the market.
My personal experience in different fields of the international lighting industry brought me to successfully translate the style and elegance of indoor illumination into outdoor appliances, creating new ranges of products capable of mixing the advanced technical know-how of the company with a new appealing design to create groundbreaking solutions for new markets.
Our latest landscape and accent lighting fixtures range translate our advanced technical expertise in previously unexplored markets, offering competitive and performing alternatives to expanding demand.
Describe in detail the values and the work culture that drives your organization.
First of all, we firmly believe in our true Made in Italy tradition. We have always been designing, engineering, and assembling all our lighting fixtures here in Italy.
Our consistent attitude towards innovation, our respect for the environment, our tireless commitment to sustainability, our steady focus on quality, and our unlimited customization capabilities drive us towards the development of innovative solutions that stand out for their distinctiveness and efficiency in an increasingly competitive market.
As I strongly believe in our human resources skills and expertise, I fully rely on their capabilities, ideas, and initiative to be always at the forefront in our field.
Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in almost every sector. How are you leveraging technological advancements to make your solutions resourceful?
The lighting industry has been improving in a quick and dynamic way in recent years, mainly due to the continuous technological developments of LED technology and of related intelligent lighting management systems. Exceeding customary standards, we always purchase high-performing LEDs from strictly selected micro-bins allowing our fixtures to maintain the highest levels of color consistency and uniformity over time.
Our Research & Development department is always at work to study the latest industry evolutions in order to ensure maximum performance levels for our complete collection of architectural lighting solutions.
What, according to you, could be the next significant change in your sector? How is your company preparing to be a part of that change?
Energy-saving solutions are becoming more and more important for the preservation of our environment and its limited resources. We have already moved in this direction upgrading our production and supply processes. As a result, our lighting fixtures are 90% recyclable and 95% of their components come from production sites located within less than a 100 km distance.
We follow strict internal energy-saving and environmentally friendly procedures according to newly obtained certifications. We are also implementing new lighting technologies which are respectful towards the safe development of vegetal and animal environments. All our efforts go in this direction.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future goals for Griven?
I firmly want Griven to become one of the most important Italian players in the international outdoor architectural lighting market, offering an always up-to-date range of highly innovative fixtures capable of illuminating in a sustainable way from the smallest residential premises to the largest urban infrastructures in every possible shade of both colored and white light. An ambitious goal that makes me proud and eager to do my job every day.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the architectural lighting niche?
It’s true, this is a niche market, but it features an impressively large number of competitive high-quality players. Thinking and acting out of the box can really make a difference in this industry. Facing any new challenge with an unconventional approach and innovative methods is what I would recommend to any newcomer."
