Meet Business Manager
Central & Eastern Europe,

Wim Steeghs

Throughout his career, Wim Steeghs has successfully put his passion for plants and keen business sense to work to help companies grow. Since 2015 he has been helping forge new business opportunities for Philips LED Horticulture Solutions, first in the Benelux and most recently as Business Manager Central Eastern Europe (CEE).

Passion for plants and business

Wim received a B.S. in Horticulture and has worked in floriculture for almost 25 years as a grow, strategy and technology specialist. As grow consultant at his own consultancy company, Wim set out strategic business and technology plans for companies setting up production facilities for rose and gerbera production. He went on to co-found Stadium Grow Lighting, developing solutions for growing grass in football stadiums based on lighting applications. As entrepreneur and investor, Wim has worked extensively in emerging African countries to establish floriculture propagation facilities.

Wim Steeghs and Udo van Slooten, general manager Philips Horticulture

Why Philips Lighting?

When Wim returned to The Netherlands after 8 years working abroad, he saw that LED lighting had made huge advances. He joined Philips Horticulture because of their high level of professionalism and expertise in both the horticultural and technical aspects of LED lighting projects. As he says, “In our light recipes you can see that combining plant expertise with the ability to do technical and economical calculations really works.”

@cucumber grower Jac Dings and his team

Making LEDs flourish in the Benelux

Wim first worked in the floriculture and vegetable sectors within the Benelux. He helped to make successful LED business cases for cultivating cut roses and gerbera in Belgium and the Netherlands. Wim also worked on several large cucumber installations with LED grow lights, including a 2 ha greenhouse with full LED for snack cucumbers and a 3 ha interlighting project for cucumbers.

Opening of Getlini EKO, Latvia, 1^st full LED project for cucumbers

Crossing new borders

One-and-a-half years ago, Wim took on the new role of Business Manager Central Eastern Europe. At first he combined this role with his work in the West European team, but is he now mainly focused on leading the CEE team. Wim says, “The CEE region has huge potential. Many growers and entrepreneurs are quickly adopting new technologies in the agricultural sector, including LED grow lights. Many people here have had negative experiences with poor quality LED lighting, and our challenge is to convince them that with high quality technology you can make huge gains.” In Latvia, a 3,000 square meter project with full LED is being realized with LED interlights and LED toplights. It is the first full LED project for cucumbers in the world.

100% LED lighting for tomatoes at Martin Sigg, Finland

World’s largest LED horticultural lighting project in Russia

Wim and his team celebrated a huge success recently by closing the deal with LLC Agro-Invest, Russia’s most innovative greenhouse produce company, to install the largest LED horticultural lighting project in the world. LED grow lights will be used to support cultivation of tomatoes in greenhouses covering an area of almost 25 hectares (equivalent in size to about 50 soccer pitches). Wim says they chose Philips LEDs because of their quality and dependability.

The Philips Horti Team 2017

Standing on each other’s shoulders

Wim enjoys working with a very enthusiastic team of colleagues. He says, “I’m proud of the team and of everyone that has gone before me to pave the way for our success. We stand on each other’s shoulders and work together to make it all happen. We have a great product that has a great future and I’m proud to be part of it all.”

Wim Steeghs

Business Manager

Central & Eastern Europe

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Meet Business Manager Central & Eastern Europe, Wim Steeghs