John Haste Joins Surya

October 13, 2015  by in Executive Changes, Industry   

In his role, Haste will focus on growing Surya's lighting business, working closely with the brand’s sales, product development and sourcing teams to create a product roadmap and strategy for increasing lighting sales.

Since its introduction in fall 2013, Surya’s lighting category has achieved year-over-year revenue increases of more than 200 percent, making it the brand’s fastest growing product category. The line currently includes more than 350  options – including table, floor and task lamps, along with weather-resistant outdoor lamps – all of which are available across a broad range of lifestyles and price points.

“As our lighting business continues to gain strong momentum among our retailer and designer customers, we decided it was the right time to bring in a seasoned professional who can help us to take the category to the next level,” said Satya Tiwari, president. “John has a proven track record of identifying and developing new market opportunities for multiple categories within the home furnishings industry including, most recently, the $5.85 billion lighting segment. He pairs great business insight with a firm understanding of what it takes to create a winning strategy for long-term growth and will be a great asset to the Surya team.”

Haste has spent more than 20 years in senior leadership roles, where he has managed business operations, along with sales and marketing functions. Previously, Haste was senior vice president of sales and marketing for ELK Group International where he created a division and oversaw  corporate acquisitions. Prior to that, he was vice president of sales at Imax Corp., an importer and distributor of home furnishings.

Haste reports to Tiwari.