Tony Lawrence Remembered for Five Decades of Lighting Innovation

Tony Lawrence Remembered for Five Decades of Lighting Innovation

Tony Lawrence, LIT Lifetime Achievement Award winner and one of the great minds in lighting product design, passed away on Friday, May 23rd, 2025.

A pioneering force in Lighting Product Design, Tony’s career has been over five decades long, marked by technical brilliance, creative integrity, and a dedication to excellence. Tony began his journey at Concord Lighting—part of the Sylvania Lighting Group—in April 1969. What started as a role for a young electrical/mechanical engineer eager to live in London soon evolved into a lifelong commitment to the marriage of design and technology. Guided by the artistic vision of Concord’s founder, Bernard Stern, and the mentorship of Professor Robert Heritage of the Royal College of Art, Tony became a driving force behind some of the most iconic lighting solutions of our time.

Products like the Torus spotlight range, the Beacon Muse, Stadium, Glace, and Officelyte reflect his passion for innovation and precision. Over the years, Tony has won multiple Red Dot, FX, Lux, and Lighting Design Awards. He was central to Concord’s legacy of excellence and embodied its spirit of forward-thinking design.

Beyond his design work, Tony generously shared his knowledge with students from St Martins School of Art and the University of Sussex, helping shape the next generation of designers.

In 2021, the LIT Lighting Design Awards honored Tony Lawrence with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his monumental contribution to the industry. His influence will be seen in his products and the people he inspired.

We extend our heartfelt condolences to Tony’s family, friends, and colleagues. His light continues to shine through every space he helped transform.