Lighting The Way: A Casambian’s Lighting Journey
Meet the man who turned childhood curiosity into industry innovation, proving that when passion meets purpose, extraordinary things happen in the world of lighting technology.
Picture a young boy carefully extracting LEDs from an old washing machine, meticulously arranging them to create miniature streetlights for his toy cars. Today, that same innovative spirit drives PhunKEE as he leads Casambi’s APAC sales team, transforming the lighting and controls industry across Asia.
As Casambi’s Sales Leader for the APAC region, PhunKEE oversees the expansion of Casambi node adoption across the market, with a key focus on North Asia, including China, Korea, and Japan. Since 2022, he has played a pivotal role in growing the region’s CRP (Casambi Ready Products) ecosystem. His impact? Nothing short of transformative, as the APAC CRP partners and nodes adoption increased by 3-fold and 2-fold respectively!
Engineering Dreams into Reality
That curious child who once played with salvaged LEDs never really grew up – he just found bigger playgrounds. Starting as a field application engineer for security systems, he progressively took on roles of increasing responsibility, from technical sales and business development to technical consulting and team leadership, working for industry leaders such as ABB, Honeywell, Lutron, Dynalite, 3M, and Schneider. At each stop, his passion for innovation and problem-solving opened new doors and lit new paths.
Ask PhunKEE about his proudest moment at Casambi, and he’ll tell you about building a dream team that turns challenges into triumphs. Take the New Zealand Post Distribution Hub project – where others saw insurmountable meshing issues, PhunKEE’s team saw an opportunity to showcase their technical prowess, successfully resolving complex meshing issues by root cause analysis. Through careful analysis of the layout drawings, system architecture, and BOM listings, the team swiftly identified the root cause; a newly installed metal structure in the warehouse was creating a barrier for radio signal communication between nodes. By changing the network performance and splitting the external and internal warehouse installation into 2 separate networks, the system restores its full functional operation.
A key achievement was developing the Casambi ecosystem onboarding kit, providing partners with clear orientation and support guidelines while tracking milestone progress. This structured framework has enabled the development of high-quality Casambi Ready Products, including innovative solutions like the Infrared (IR) Blaster. This technology enables Casambi systems to control audio, visual, and HVAC services through learned IR codes, demonstrating the ecosystem’s versatility.
Revolutionizing the Market Through Leadership
Casambi’s open ecosystem model represents a fundamental shift from traditional exclusive, product-based approaches in the lighting industry. While this innovative stance initially led to misconceptions—with some believing Casambi operated solely through its six CBUs and appointed partners—PhunKEE and his team have successfully reshaped market understanding through two years of intensive engagement, through customer events and knowledge-sharing sessions. However, this educational journey continues as Casambi extends its reach.
Weekly team sync-ups ensure cohesive strategy execution and prompt problem-solving. This agile approach, combined with close engagement with service partners and specifiers, enables rapid adaptation to market dynamics through the Minimum Viable Path (MVP) methodology. One of the results is the Casambi Ready downlight and panel lights offering to the market at an irresistible value for their performance.
Life Beyond the Office
Beyond the world of lighting solutions, PhunKEE recharges through culinary adventures and healthy living. Whether exploring new cuisines, places, cultures, preparing nourishing meals for loved ones, or maintaining an active lifestyle, he finds joy in life’s simple pleasures as the saying goes eat to live.
Vision for the Future
PhunKEE’s eyes light up when discussing the future. In his vision, AI isn’t just about automation – it’s about enhancing human experiences through perfectly crafted lighting environments that speak to our emotions and transform spaces.
In an era of rapid AI development, where the lines between physical and virtual worlds increasingly blur, PhunKEE emphasizes a crucial truth: humans remain fundamentally social and visual beings. He believes that thoughtful illumination can evoke precise sensations and moods, whether for relaxation or social connection. With curated and proper lighting design, and layering of different illumination requirements, the environment can be crafted to create specific emotional experiences.
As our world becomes more digitally connected, the need for meaningful physical spaces grows stronger. By focusing on the right market segments and developing innovative solutions in this space, Casambi positions itself to stay ahead in an evolving market where the integration of technology and human experience is paramount.
Words of Advice
“Find work that feels like play,” PhunKEE advises rising talents. “A lasting career ignites when your daily passion meets limitless possibilities.” It’s no wonder he describes his journey as “getting paid to have fun.” If you wake up and feel doubtful about the day ahead or find an excuse not to work, that is a sign that the career path requires a review.
Describing his team as “fluid hot lava that explodes from an exciting evolution of technology,” PhunKEE embodies Casambi’s dynamic culture, while acknowledging the challenges that come with rapid growth and market changes, he remains optimistic about the team’s journey ahead.
