THINKLIGHT Conference

Head of Strategic Business Development & Sales, Al-Futtaim Engineering and Technologies, UAE

Tolga Candan is a multidiscipline engineer, MSc with his experience   ranging   from commercial applications to successful delivery of on-site construction activities. He possesses 16 years’ experience with 13 years being in UAE and the gulf region in the construction and industrial manufacturing segments. Tolga has been instrumental in completion of numerous key projects such as the prestigious Dubai Metro Project. His core strength is in leading business development and strategy along with a comprehensive network in the Middle East construction industry. Known for his expertise in HVAC, Pumps and Energy Optimization, he is now heading the strategic business development for operations and sustainability programme of Al Futtaim Engineering & Technologies with focus to UAE and neighboring regions. 

Benjamin Heydon, Landscape Consultant

Benjamin Heydon is a Director of Mawarid Investment Holdings and has worked in the specialist fields of Landscape Planning and Architecture for over 17-years as; programme and project management, designer, planning and advisory roles.

His experience has been generated through extensive exposure to unique environments which has seen him work throughout the Middle East, Australia, Canada and Africa, for both public and private sector clients. He has worked on a variety of projects from strategic frameworks, technical documentation, place-making development and landscape design.

Kristin Lee, Chair and Associate Professor of Interior Design

My undergraduate degree is in Women’s Studies, and that perspective has shaped how I view design. I am drawn to design as a balance of creativity and practicality, and that practicality can have a huge impact on people’s well-being.

I’ve worked on projects ranging from senior living to healthcare to large scale residential. How space impacts those who inhabit it is why I love design, and by teaching I get to share that
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Teaching allows me to connect with the next generation, and is more rewarding than I could have ever imagined. At AUD, we really do achieve a dialogue; it is a mutually beneficial relationship. Human’s experience of space happens on so many levels, we receive signals that we’re not even aware of. For many segments of the population, designing that space with the help of research will have positive results and better outcomes. This is the power of design.

Design Director & Founder, STUDIO MARK

Courtney Mark's reputation in the lighting design industry is built on performance, trust, and, most importantly, creativity. Mark loves the world of architecture and design and is incredibly proud to be part of it. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a project you envision come to life. She cut her teeth early on in her career in doing renovation design in New York.

Mark's concern and feeling for preserving and incorporating the past with the present-day design stems from her youth. "You have to have a feeling for it (refurb),” It’s a labor of love. My father (Adolf DeRoy Mark), was an architect and did it before me, and his father before him in the 30's. He taught me how to see and visualize something that doesn't exist.

Describing herself as conscientious, fastidious and detail-oriented, Mark is a firm believer in what she calls "retained tribal knowledge" that she draws from. "Everywhere I travel, and everything I see that visually works or inspires me I have the ability to recall in my designs to create cutting-edge, immersive and unforgettable experiences."

Over the past 16 years, she has played a leading role in the design, management and construction of many high profile and award winning projects spanning the GCC, North America, Central America and Asian markets. Although shifting her primary focus to hospitality lighting design in 2007, Ms. Mark has collaborated on projects in a range of sectors throughout her career including landscape, master planning, city beautification, commercial, and high-end residential.

Six years after leaving New York’s vibrant lighting design scene to establish and run CD+M’s designated hospitality lighting design studio in Dubai in 2013, Ms. Mark, widens her umbrella back out to global design industry. Prior to joining CD+M she held a Senior Designer position with Reveal Design group in New York for two years, and spent 8 years with AWA lighting designers as a Senior Designer and Associate, opening and running their newest international design studio in, New Delhi India.

The launch of her own lighting design practice (STUDIO MARK) has come after witnessing first-hand the shift in the local design market over the years. In a 21st century design market, we realize that designing and building beautiful solutions isn't enough. We partner with the top forward thinking creatives in the industry. And we are proud to be part of their teams.

Our clients trust us with their projects and know that our team of professionals will be there with them every step of the way. That’s why we focus on providing solutions that are affordable and result-driven.

Sakina Dugawalla-Moeller, Design Director

Borne out of a flair and passion for the creative, Sakina is founder and principal of Light.Func. A gregarious individual and professional designer with extensive experience in the Middle East region spanning 9 years, her passion envelopes all things artistic, with an innate focus on lighting design. Her work is most prominent not only in her professional aspirations but also investing in education and raising the bar of lighting design with fellow peers within the Middle East.