A lightbulb moment for Jason
A bright beginning
J felt strongly that lighting should feel natural, not artificial, not uncomfortable or over-stimulating and certainly not synthetic. He had an instinct that more could be done to revolutionise the existing choices.
RAY is the realisation of a great deal of hard work, and has resulted in the creation of the healthiest lighting solution currently available on the market; one that aligns itself as closely as possible with sunlight. A light without the blue spikes, without the dangerous levels of flicker and with a colour rendering index of 97+ (sunlight is 100). But also – crucially – a light that incorporates that vital 4th dimension which J had initially sensed was missing: the feeling of natural light.
When he realised that we were actually putting our health and wellbeing at risk due to blue light and flicker, and that his idea was – in fact – more that just a gut feeling, he began to seek solutions. With more of us staying at home, or working in artificially-lit offices, it was clear to him that something had to be done.
Joining forces
A Shared Vision
Simon had formerly worked with Nobel Prize winner, Shuji Nakamura who first harnessed the use of LED in a lighting application. As a result, he was a passionate advocate for the technology, with a great depth of understanding about its makeup. He also shared J’s passion for creating light that contributed to the health and wellbeing of the people who enjoyed it.
Simon felt strongly that a full range of products was required so that requirements for full installations in a vast range of applications – from homes to offices, hospitals to education centres, hotels to exhibition centres – could be met. With his global contacts and trade connections, Simon knew he could find a voice in the market once the right family of products was created.
Meet the co-founders
Co-Director
Jason Wilkin
Jason, known to many simply as J, has been passionate about lighting for more than two decades. Trained initially as an electronics technician in the armed forces, J went on to spend almost two decades in lighting installations, building his successful companies from the ground up. Having worked with everyone from famous footballers and TV stars, through to Nobel prize winners and royalty, his work has taken him all over the world.
“So, here we are in 2020, the year of the pandemic. It’s a stark reminder that nature holds the true power. Coincidentally, for better or worse, this is the year that all I have learned and what I have believed in, fiercely, is coming to fruition. We at RAY are bringing organic, natural sunlight indoors and shifting our priorities towards looking after our brains and, in turn, our bodies. We want to combat the synthetic and enable people to thrive in their home and work environments.”
Co-Director
Simon McCune
Simon is a graduate in Business Information Systems Management.
He started his career in lighting in 2002 and has worked around the globe with world class designers, distributors, contractors and developers in some of the most advanced and striking buildings – from blue chip company headquarters, to kings’ palaces and multiple hotels.
In 2015, Simon established a consultancy, working with brands such as John Cullen, The light corporation, Siemens, Redwood, SORAA and Power vamp, as well as winning projects from Microsoft HQ to The Mayfair.
As co-founder of RAY Lighting, Simon now fulfils the Sales Director role for the company and plays a key role in development. “I am more excited about this start-up than anything I have ever done,” he enthuses. “We have the chance here to improve people’s lives through lighting; to make people feel better every day; to improve their health; help their children develop; and to make the world a more beautiful place – literally. What a great honour.”
