Lighting Hall of Fame

2011 Inductee

Zia Eftekhar, CEO of Philips Professional Luminaires North America in Burlington, Mass., was inducted into the Lighting Hall of Fame on Sept. 13 at the 2011 ALA Annual Conference in Palm Beach, Fla.

The Lighting Hall of Fame was established in 2000 and is presented to individuals who have provided a lifetime of exceptional devotion to the industry, as well as to the ALA.  The selection criteria is based on their magnitude of success in the lighting industry, the number of years of service, their impact of their contributions to the industry and to the association, and their level of peer respect.
 
Zia Eftekhar is Chief Executive Officer of Philips Lighting North America. Eftekhar is a highly respected 40 year veteran of the lighting industry and who is responsible for all of the Philips Lighting’s businesses in North America, including Lamps, Consumer Luminaires and Professional Luminiaires.  This includes companies such as the Philips Lightolier Group, the single largest business within Philips Professional Luminaires.
 
Since 1992 he has been the president of Lightolier and a Director of The Genlyte Group, the publicly traded parent of Lightolier acquired by Philips in 2008. Eftekhar played a crucial role in the integration of the Genlyte businesses into Philips, and in his new role he will lead the drive to further grow Philips’ leadership position in lighting systems and solutions in North America.
 
Under Eftekhar’s leadership, Philips Lightolier has evolved to reflect the needs of its customers. By introducing new business services such as the Energy Services Group, and meaningful technological innovations that reflect the demand for energy efficient lighting, Eftekhar has continued to keep Lightolier at the forefront of professional lighting solutions. It is a challenge he now welcomes on a larger scale. Eftekhar is Past Chairman of the American Lighting Association and is also presently active as a Board Member and advisor to a number of industry associations and educational institutions.
  
He has served in multiple leadership positions, including chair of the ALA Board of Governors in 2003.
 
“Zia is a classy gentleman and very bright,” says Stanley Johnston, chairman of the ALA Awards Committee and president of Johnston Lighting Associates. “He is always looking for the best and correct way to do things – as contrasted by the expedient way. Zia served the ALA from the days when it was AHLI, and he has served in many roles but always as a contributor and leader.”
 
Eftekhar’s ALA leadership roles include:
 
2010 Lamp Manufacturers Committee
2008-2009 Manufacturer Sales Survey Committee
2008 Industry Open Forum Committee Moderator
2007, 2010 Membership Campaign Committee
2007 Efficient Lighting Initiative Task Force
2002-2003 Annual Conference Committee
2001-2011 Finance Committee
2001-2004 Board of Governors (Chair, 2003)
1997-2000 BiNational Advertising & PR Program Launch Committee (Chair)


Lighting Hall of Fame Members

Judy Anderson
Illumination Systems, Inc.

Susan Solomon Auerbach
Generation Brands

Michael H. Ber, CLC
Lighting Inc.

Nelson J. Bleisch
Thomas Lighting

William F. Blitzer
Lightolier

William K. Branham, Sr.
The Brecher Company

Burton A. Burton *
Casablanca Fan Co.

Arthur Director, CLC
Connecticut Lighting

Zia Eftekhar
Philips Professional Luminaires North America

Murray Feiss
Murray Feiss Lighting

Gerald Fleischer *
Hermitage Lighting Gallery

Harry L. Gilham, Jr.
Georgia Lighting

Philip S. Hoefer
Hoefer/Funsinn Lighting Agency

Ray Huizinga *
Huizinga Sales Co.

Stanley D. Johnston, CLC
Johnston Lighting Associates

Sam Minoff
Kichler

Ira H. Phillips
Quoizel, Inc.

Larry K. Powers
Philips Business Unit, Professional Luminaires North America (formerly The Genlyte Group)

Bruce A. Robinson*
Robinson Lighting

Andrew Schonbek
Schonbek Worldwide Lighting, Inc.

Edwin N. Solomon *
Sea Gull Lighting Products, Inc.

Dennis Swanson
Lamps Plus

Bill Teiber *
Bill Teiber Co.

David Weisberg
Affiliated Distributors

*Deceased