Lighting designer and luminaire developer Ann Reo has joined Soraa as a senior vice president of product development. Reo, whom Architectural Lighting interviewed in 2012 as part of our on-going One-on-One series , has been working in the lighting industry for more than 20 years.
“Over the last year, our product offering has expanded far beyond the MR16 LED lamp that put us on the map,” said Jeff Parker, CEO of Soraa, in a press statement. “Ann’s background in lighting design and expertise in building LED products from the ground up gives Soraa an edge in pioneering solutions that designers and customers want—and the market needs.”
A graduate of the ungraduate and graduate architecture programs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, in 2001 Reo started her own LED luminaire company, io Lighting, serving as its president and CEO. In 2007, the company was acquired by Eaton’s Cooper Lighting and Reo became vice president of Global SSL Solutions and general manager of io Lighting. During her tenure with io Lighting, the company was recognized with several product design awards including the “Best New Product of the Year” at Lightfair’s Innovation Awards in 2004.
In her new role with Soraa, Reo will focus on light engine design for OEM integration as well as custom solutions for specifiers, OEMs, and end-users. “LED technology has fascinated me since 1999, and I believe Soraa’s GaN-on-GaN LED technology is the first true milestone since the invention of the LED,” said Reo in a prepared statement. “I am beyond thrilled to be joining such an innovative company with a very talented team, and I look forward to developing LED products that continue to inspire outstanding lighting designs.”
