People in Lighting: David Cunha
Companies are defined by the people who work for them. For over a century, Schréder has been at the forefront of sustainable lighting thanks to the innovative thinking of its employees worldwide. This series focuses on the people who make Schréder what it is, discussing their career paths, landmark projects and thoughts on what comes next for the lighting industry.
Schréder has been at the forefront of innovation for more than a century, from the early days of electricity, to the global smart city revolution. Schréder Hyperion, our Smart Cities Hub, is based at the Nova Business School University campus in Lisbon, and supports urban centres worldwide in their digital transition of the public realm. By providing end-to-end smart city solutions underpinned with a philosophy of openness and interoperability, we help customers realise their vision, their way.
Schréder EXEDRA, our IoT platform, can reduce energy consumption by up to 85%, while our SHUFFLE pole enhances outdoor spaces by integrating features such as loudspeakers, CCTV, WiFi, charging points for electric vehicles and light rings.
David Cunha plays a vital role in this innovation journey. Schréder Hyperion’s Smart Cities Solutions Manager, he leads the development and implementation of the global Smart Cities strategy for the Schréder group. He joined Schréder Hyperion in 2021 after working for the Municipality of Lisbon, where he held several roles in Civil Engineering and ICT domains.
My degree and training was in Civil Engineering…
This was mainly for family reasons, but I was always very interested in the technology side of things; I could equally have studied Information Management or Computing. Then I did a Masters in Transport and Infrastructure, studying the design and maintenance of highways and roads. Before I finished that, I’d already started working for Lisbon City Council… I ended up staying there for 17 years.
I got more and more involved in roles with a technology aspect…
Even as a civil engineer, I was designing platforms for citizens to communicate with the municipality. I worked with the social department on how to use technology to improve the lives of elderly people and children. Then, in 2017, I moved into a more political area, becoming a senior advisor. I take a lot of pride in the work I did with the city council, and my role at Schréder was a natural next step.
Lighting is also a kind of public service…
As a representative of the city, I had sat in on many meetings with Schréder Hyperion's founder, Nicolas Keutgen. Knowing Schréder’s focus on customer’s needs, and given my interest in the technology side of things, I ended up asking him a lot of questions and decided I was ready for this new world. We are in a time of transition, both in terms of making cities smart, and offering lighting as part of a wider range of smart services, rather than as a standalone solution.
The work we do has a huge impact on public spaces...
What we are doing now in smart cities has a huge impact on citizens' lives. The Smart City approach, improving safety, all of this is in our DNA. It's still a public service, and still has a very significant impact on communities. Look at the Mindil Beach Sunset Market in Darwin, Australia which attracts more than 400,000 visitors a year. They needed new lighting, but they also wanted CCTV and loudspeakers, and a solution that didn't involve digging. There was a lot of listening, but we found a solution that worked.
SHUFFLE provides light, CCTC, WIFI and loudspeakers for Mindil Beach Sunset Market
My role now is defining the scope for smart solutions…
Which markets, which type of solution, what do citizens need, what is sustainable? The UN forecasts that 68% of us will live in towns and cities by 2050, but I think things are moving faster than that. There are a number of issues today that all big cities, and many smaller ones, are struggling with. Housing, transport and also environmental issues, with many in Europe pushing to be carbon neutral by 2030. In North American markets, we see that safety is a big concern, as well. Citizens expect better services from the city, for things to be quicker and more efficient. We need to change the way we do things now to make it sustainable in the future.
In practical terms, I’m a bridge to our customers…
For some, it’s a case of starting their smart city story. Others who are further down the smart city journey bring new insights into what we can offer. One of the most iconic products we have in this smart city space is the SHUFFLE, which means I think about how it can help our customers realise their smart city ambitions.
Internally, we are working on our own transition…
We come from selling lighting solutions, where we got the luminaires, the LEDs, and installed them. Now, we sell a smart city service, where lighting is part of it, but we can provide all kinds of services through SHUFFLE and Schréder EXEDRA. Electric vehicle charging, CCTV, free WiFi… With smart cities, we have to navigate through the fog; it's no longer about selling things on a mass scale, it's about being the bridge between the customers, the consortiums working in this field, and the cities themselves.
Consortiums play a really important role…
Most people haven’t heard of them, but systems such as Schréder EXEDRA are only possible thanks to alliances like TALQ. They set globally accepted interface standards for smart city device networks; interoperability means that we can offer solutions that can connect any smart device the city has to Schréder EXEDRA via a TALQ cloud-to-cloud bridge. I’m Vice Chairman of the Steering Committee and Chairman of the Requirements Workgroup of the TALQ Consortium, and it’s always a privilege to work with colleagues from across the industry.
My favourite project is…
We’re doing a big project with Ausgrid in Australia, to make 62,000 street lights on main roads smart. We’re adding smart controls to their existing lighting assets to detect faults, optimise maintenance, measure energy use and make it easier to adjust lighting levels at off-peak times in the future. We care a a lot about interoperable, open systems and sustainability, so this fits right in with our priorities. The first phase of this project has already reduced energy consumption by 62%. Projects like this are about sustainability, about the long term, about helping cities achieve their goals. Another favourite is La Baule, in France, where we have combined a smart city solution with beautiful aesthetics for their seafront lighting.
Schréder is working with Ausgrid in Australia to make their street lights smart and save energy
I’m most proud of our work on this internal transformation…
I moved from the public sector to a private company, and not just any private company, but a family-owned one with a century of history. We are moving from a relationship where we deliver the luminaire, to a much more continuous one, where we deliver ongoing services. I am really proud of the work we’re doing within the group to move things forward, our new range of products and services, and this new way of interacting with the customers. It’s fascinating!
This is where I’ve learnt the most...
I have had training on all our products, but to be honest, most of what I have learnt here has come from colleagues. We are really diverse - all cultures, all countries, all geographies, the learning has been intense! I'd also like to thank my colleagues for their collaboration and patience as well. Innovation isn’t a linear process, and there have been lots of ups and downs in this journey towards new products and services.
In my spare time, I like to…
I've loved sport since I was a kid - now my free time is split between sport and motorcycling. I love being outdoors, especially on the water - there's nothing like being on a boat in the summer.
Connect with David on LinkedIn.