People in Lighting: Marco Gonzalez
Marco Gonzalez
Sales Director CH-D/I - Schréder Swiss
Companies are defined by the people who work for them. For more than a century, Schréder has been at the forefront of lighting because of the innovative thinking of our employees worldwide. Life@Schréder is where we tell the stories of the people who make Schréder what it is, across the 70 countries where we do business.
Marco Gonzalez is the Sales Manager at Schréder Swiss, responsible for the German-speaking region of Switzerland and beyond. From adaptive street lighting in the gateway to some of the world's most famous ski resorts, to creating an enchanting nocturnal landscape on the shores of Lake Zug, we have worked with partners all over the country to create unique spaces after dark. Marco joined Schréder 18 years ago and has been at the heart of our work across Switzerland ever since.
I joined Schréder in 2008…
I was working as an electrical planner in Thun, where I grew up - it’s a beautiful little town, right in the heart of Switzerland. I had worked for several years in an engineering firm, where I got my training. At the time, Schréder had a branch there, and I wanted to work on more ambitious projects than just domestic electrics. So, I joined Schréder as a technician in 2008, and have been here ever since.
My role has changed over time…
I stepped into a managerial role quite quickly, and started off with a small team which grew fast. I gradually moved from the technical side to the sales team, for which I am now responsible across German- and Italian-speaking Switzerland. I grew up speaking Spanish at home and German at school, so it wasn’t too difficult to add French and Italian. I work just outside Bern, and we also have an office in the canton of Zurich.
There’s no such thing as a typical day…
That's what I love about this job. I’d get bored doing the same thing all the time. My role involves guiding projects internally to ensure we achieve the best possible results for our customers. I also visit sites and acquire new customers. The business in Switzerland is unique in that we sell seasonal lighting, which is something that no other Schréder group company does. We do Christmas lighting! We’re also busy with lots of sports projects and solar lighting. No two days are ever the same.
We’re actually really busy with a lot of sports projects at the moment…
A few years ago, we had a big overhaul of our sports offering and it’s really taken off. The Schréder ITERRA control system and BRITELINE floodlights are really popular, especially for football stadiums, like Stade de Copet. The Swiss Football Association is doing a lot to support the sport at grassroots level and investing in lighting is a great way to help communities. We recognised the potential of this market, and the growth has been incredible.
Switzerland is ahead of the curve when it comes to lighting…
The country can serve as a testbed; our customers here are open to trying new things and supporting innovation. Schréder recently acquired EdgeMachines, a company that works with low-power sensors and edge AI. We’re already talking to customers about what they can do in terms of tracking traffic flows, crowd management, and smart parking. We’re in the early stages of exploring data with our customers and seeing what they can achieve.
We’ve also been enthusiastic early adopters of solar-powered lighting. The Swiss are passionate about protecting the environment and saving energy, and this is an ideal solution for remote mountain areas that aren’t connected to the electricity grid. A perfect example is the municipality of Sils im Engadin/Segl; when faced with aging electrical infrastructure, we helped them implement a solar lighting solution that successfully avoided the need for costly and disruptive grid work.
My favourite project…
It's difficult to choose because we've done so many! I am particularly proud of the Glattzentrum, a large shopping centre on the outskirts of Zurich. We installed 38 SHUFFLEs with 360° lighting and a reinforced base. What made it special, though, was that we had to use a custom colour, a very specific shade of black. The architect drove a ten-hour round trip from Germany to ensure the colour was perfect – and it was. It's the little details like that which make projects special.
I’m also really proud of a project we did in Urdorf, similar to this one in Brussels, where the lighting adapts to traffic levels and weather. A year after its launch, energy savings of over 30% had been achieved, and reducing the light levels helped the natural ecosystems flourish. The project won the 2018 Watt d’Or prize, awarded by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy to projects that benefit society.
I am most proud of…
We work as a team. Our partners, our collaborators, our colleagues… I’m just a link in the chain. If I were on my own, none of this would happen. But there’s a real collegial spirit, perhaps partly because it’s a family company. Everyone can have an entrepreneurial attitude, and we work together at every level, including with the directors. I get the sense that it’s an open environment where we’re all working towards the same goal.
The world of lighting has transformed…
We’ve been in Switzerland for just over 30 years, and I’ve been here for most of that time. I started working here at the same time that LEDs were introduced. Our first training on them took place in Belgium. I still remember the HID era and the introduction of control systems. It’s because of this evolution that I’m still here. It would be boring to sell the same light bulbs and luminaires again and again.
Outside of work I like to stay active…
A lot of my weekends are taken up with family time as my children are still young. I try to fit in exercise - sometimes I cycle or walk to work. I used to play football when I was younger, but sadly my knees aren’t up to it anymore. Ultimately, it's about finding the right balance between spending time with my family, playing sports and enjoying the beautiful lakes in Switzerland.
Connect with Marco on LinkedIn.