Piscataway, NJ, USA – The Zhaga Consortium, a global lighting industry organization, is pleased to announce the appointment of Heinrich Thye as its new Secretary General, effective April 1st, 2023. Thye will succeed Dee Denteneer, who has served as Secretary General for the past seven years.
Heinrich Thye is a seasoned business executive with extensive experience in marketing, sales, and management. For 15 years Thye was the Managing Director of IDEE Europe, an international electrical wholesale group and strong partner of the lighting industry. He has a master’s degree in engineering and an MBA in business engineering.
“I am excited to join Zhaga as the new Secretary General,” said Heinrich Thye. “I look forward to working with the team and the consortium members to further promote the advantages of standardized interfaces of components of LED luminaires and to create value for the lighting industry and the smart city of tomorrow.”
Dee Denteneer, who has been instrumental in the growth and development of the Zhaga Consortium, is leaving after 7 years. Under his leadership, the organization has expanded into interface specifications that address interoperability for connected lighting. A result of this direction were the Zhaga Smart City Sensor Awards, where winners were announced last week.
Zhaga has grown into a global consortium with more than 500 members and the purpose to enable new markets for connected and serviceable lighting through interoperability.
About Zhaga
Zhaga is a global association of lighting industry members. Zhaga standardizes interface specifications for LED luminaire components, including LED light engines, LED modules, LED arrays, holders, electronic control gear (LED drivers), connectors, sensor and/or wireless communication modules and associated devices. The Zhaga interface standards enable multi-vendor ecosystem of interoperable products. To create trust in the interoperability of products from multiple vendors Zhaga has a certification and logo-program executed by third party test houses. Through its focus on interoperability, Zhaga contributes to circularity lighting via smart, connected lighting and serviceable luminaires, supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goal 11 for sustainable cities and communities. Zhaga has set up a partner and liaison program, working with recognized Standards Development Organizations and Alliances to maximize synergies, leverage external expertise and global acceptance. For more information, visit www.zhagastandard.org.