Marijn's story
Our Benefits
5
years at Signify
2
business functions
2
roles
>25
partners connected to Signify
Recognizing career opportunities
At the time that I joined I was already working for a company that specialized in the smart home and I was familiar with Philips Hue. Recognizing the smart home potential and a unique career opportunity in front of me, I decide to pursue a job at one of the world’s leading companies in this space. My first role was to find partners to join our Friends of Hue program, with a specific focus on light switch manufacturers, which all have their own colors and styles to match a broad range of consumer’s interior desires. I managed to build partnerships with [more than] 20 of the world’s most leading light switch manufacturers.
“I’m very passionate about where innovation and sustainability meet as this is strongly embedded in our DNA. Illustrative to this innovative spirit is how Signify early on during the pandemic recognized how it could help limit the spread of viruses by broadening its UV-C disinfection lighting portfolio, vertically integrating companies with complimentary technology.”
Building on overlapping skills
Two-and-a-half years ago I was able to make the switch to Open Innovation, becoming Head of Open Innovation for Europe. This was a very logical step for me as the process of finding new partners and keeping in touch with them is very similar to how I built the Friends of Hue network, although the partners are different in nature of course. It’s just bigger in scale and impact as I now work on innovations that can impact the public domain, sport, and entertainment, creating value for consumers and professionals that goes beyond lighting, including the development of applications that can support connectivity, the IoT or the creation of a circular economy. If you want to work on world-leading products that have a global impact and that can contribute to a better world, then Signify really is the best place to be.
Key advice: create a network of your own
Building a network and relations within the company will prove useful and beneficial throughout your career, so my advice for new joiners is to start with that right away. Just make sure to extend this network to people in other departments and corporate functions.
Blake's dedication and the plethora of lighting projects in which he participated led him to become Signify’s main person on horticulture LEDs in the US. Read how here.
Are you open to learning about a different discipline? Read Lianne's journey from a finance career to a horticulture LED component planner.
Eager to learn how it is working in a large corporation? Read Emilia’s story who started as a marketing intern and now is a full-time employee.