It has been a while since I last blogged, a few months to be exact, but I have an excuse as a lot happened in the last few months of the year. By now most of you would have heard that I sold my company Klaasen Lighting Design to Paul Nulty, the founder of Nulty Lighting with its head offices in London and Dubai. That process really took up most of my (and Paul’s) time the last few months as for both of us this was a major acquisition we had no prior experience with. 

Having now reached the age of 70, it has been a desire for the last few years to plan my succession and making sure my loyal team of lighting designers could rest assured of a future with or without me. Easier said then done as 5 years of planning, searching and discussing only culminated in a successful end result at the end of last year. We are still in the middle of transitioning into the far more organised and structured Nulty team while getting used to each other’s way of working, but in general the integration has been smooth and respectful. 

Involving my team from the beginning had been crucial to me (and them) as being part of the process made the communication, change and integration much easier. I can see that the new “environment” and opportunities that a bigger organisation offers has energised my team and by the looks of it also the Nulty team. Great to see, we are on to something! 

Finding the right partner was always going to be the key consideration for me as I wanted a company with the same work and design ethics, similar design philosophies and the same sort of work – life balance that was so important to me and my team. In Paul and his team at Nulty I found these values, a company that has a great vision in regards to lighting design and quality of delivrables, a company that values and nurtures its staff. While Covid threw a spanner in the wheel, delaying the negotiations, I can now look back on an acquisition successfully completed. 

I have now started the process of gradually stepping back from front line project work to move into the oh so important role of supporting and mentoring the combined teams of new and current generation lighting designers using my 45 years of (project) lighting design experience. It will take time for me to adjust to this new role as having run a company for more than 30 years created a pro-active leadership attitude that I will have to convert into that of an “elderly statesman”. I am looking forward to it as I have always been eager for new challenges! A new year, a new beginning, Happy New Year!    

See my interview with Paul here

February 2025