Ahmed El Banawy
Ahmed El Banawy is an accomplished professional currently serving as the Associate Director at NAKHEEL, a prominent real estate developer in the United Arab Emirates. With a wealth of experience in the field of project management, business analysis, and design development, Ahmed has played pivotal roles within the Design Development & Master Planning Department. His expertise spans a wide range of projects, including hospitality, residential, and master plan communities, and he has made significant contributions to the development and enhancement of various iconic properties in the UAE and the Middle East.
Amardeep Dugar
A trained architect and an advocate for all the elements of lighting – design, education and research – Dr. Amardeep M. Dugar founded Lighting Research & Design based on these elements. After completing an M.A. in architectural lighting from the University of Wismar, Germany, he went a step further to pursue a Ph.D. in architectural lighting from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand to solidify his academic & professional leadership role into a career at a higher level.
In 2015, he embarked on an ambitious journey as the Co-Coordinator for the International Association of Lighting Designers’ (IALD) India Region. Most of his time was spent unselfishly in organizing & undertaking IALD India Light Workshops, a series of practical hands-on educational light installation workshops for professionals & students throughout universities in India. Taking place at university campuses, eight workshops have been conducted in cities across India namely Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi and Mumbai. In total, more than 1,500 students and 90 lighting professionals have participated and benefited from these events.
Andrea Hartranft
Andrea Hartranft, FIALD, Principal of Hartranft Lighting Design, believes everyone should have access to and benefit from quality light in their environments. She applies expertise gained since 1986 to design for commercial, municipal, institutional and residential markets. Her projects include high-end public places, energy-efficient workplaces, and cost-driven renovations, receiving international lighting design awards from the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), as well as AIA awards at the regional and national level. She currently is the IALD President and is a past President of the IALD Education Trust. Andrea presented at Enlighten Americas/Europe and Asia and was a workshop head for Lights in Alingsas 2015 and Luci In Riviera 2017. Andrea has a passion for lighting education, teaching about the art and science of light for K-12 students, collegians and working professionals.
Andrew Bates
Andew has a comprehensive background in lighting design and management, spanning various locations globally. Starting as a Lighting Designer in the United Kingdom from July 2013 to December 2016, he progressed to Senior roles, with a position in the UK until September 2018 and then in the United Arab Emirates until October 2021. His expertise led him to Saudi Arabia, where they currently hold the position of Senior Lighting Manager at Red Sea Global since November 2021. Accumulating a total of 8 years and 4 months at AECOM, he demonstrated consistent growth and responsibility in the field over the years.
Andrew Bissel
My approach is to develop a narrative for the lighting design such that it is unique to the client; ensures that the solution focuses on the visual needs of the users and apply the latest research and technology appropriately to deliver the highest quality of lit spaces. I have worked across all sectors in the lighting industry with a focus on galleries, workplace, daylight design, leisure, aviation, public realm, and retail.
Since 2006 I have been lucky enough to create and lead an experienced and proactive group of people who each bring a unique element to the field of lighting design and technology. With lighting designers, interior designers, architects, light artists and product designers, the team has the ability to realise every element of lighting design and co-ordinate with other architecture and engineering disciplines.
Dr.Armaghn Ahmadi Venhari
Dr. Armaghan Ahmadi Venhari has academic and professional backgrounds in the fields of Lighting, architecture and Urban Design. With 17 years of experience in urban design and 10 years in lighting - from natural light at the urban scale to artificial lighting design. She has gained invaluable experience in design as well as research. Besides, she applies light as a tool in experience design and enhancing the quality of life. Her multidisciplinary educational background from environmental psychology (humanity-centric design) to sustainable design (environmentally-friendly design) makes her an all-around thinker.
Lighting is her passion and she feels responsible for raising public awareness about lighting. She also focuses on educating and training professionals in lighting and new lighting technologies. That's why, she has founded an academy, the Light-Life Academy.
Carla Wilkins
Carla Wilkins has over twenty five years professional experience as an independent Architectural Lighting Designer. In 1997 Ms. Wilkins was one of the founding partners of Lichtvision where she continues working to expand the traditional boundaries of lighting design to encompass all manner of visual experience. The general approach keeping design themes through a project and declining the standard lighting tools from general to detail is her focus. Also she is experienced in customized luminaires from highly decorative up to technical luminaires, the philosophy is that it is important that the design defines a clear need to it. In Lichtvision she overviews the Concept and Design Department and provides the design synergies of all three Lichtvision offices Berlin, Hong Kong and London. Carla Wilkins has a degree (Dipl.-Ing.) in architecture and is an active Professional Member of International Lighting Designer's Association and Werkbund Berlin.
Charles Stone
Mr. Stone received an AB in English and a special Certificate for Lighting Design from Princeton University in 1976. He is Lighting Certified by the NCQLP, a LEED AP BD+C, a Fellow and Past President of the International Association of Lighting Designers, a member of the IESNA, serves on the IESNA Lighting for Outdoor Public Spaces Committee, and serves on the Project Candle advisory group at Penn State University. Mr. Stone’s Traveling Light speaking tour visits universities and professional conferences around the world, and has landed in 20 countries since its founding in 2005. In addition to lectures, Charles regularly serves as a leader for educational and public outreach workshops including Ålingsås, Sweden, and cities worldwide with The Lighting Detectives. Mr. Stone joined FMS in 1983, became President in 2003, and has led design teams on hundreds of successful and award-winning projects with loyal and satisfied clients on five continents.
Chris Lowe
Light shapes perception.
An experienced designer with an international portfolio, a decade in leadership roles, and involvement in over 250+ projects. I am an expert in using light to transform built space.
I have a proven track record of successfully leading design teams, both on large complex projects and smaller creative endeavours. My passion for lighting design, technical skills and attention to detail, enable me to bring my client's vision to life, delivering aesthetically-attractive visual experiences.
Current Role:
Sculpting the visual experience for the Diriyah Gate giga project in Riyadh.
Working across multiple masterplans comprising an extensive portfolio of multi-billion dollar assets, and public realm areas, to help deliver a pivotal part of KSA’s 2030 Vision.
Daniel Green
Daniel Green, is an Associate Lighting Designer at INTO Lighting, delivering solutions for projects across a variety of sectors such as leisure, hospitality & workplace. With a strong appreciation of light and colour, and a passion for creativity, he is also a digital artist who dabbles with AI, always excited to see how these two worlds can collide, and spill over into one another, as advancements in these technologies provide an increasing number of real-world applications and opportunities. Light and art are often intertwined in a symbiotic like relationship. Advancements in machine learning & technology provide means to take this to another level.
Dorothy Di Stefano
Dorothy, a globally recognised Art Curator and visionary Creative Strategist, is a true luminary in the world of art and culture. As the Founder and Director of Molten Immersive Art, she leads an exceptional collective of international experiential artists and researchers. With an impressive track record spanning over seven years, she stands as a foremost thought leader and innovator in the captivating realm of narrative-based immersive and interactive art. Her work seamlessly blends cutting-edge technology, artistry, and interactivity to craft experiences that are truly transformative, captivating both audiences and artists alike.
Within Molten Immersive Art, Dorothy spearheads a team of creative strategists and digital immersive experience designers. Together, they embark on projects that span the globe, collaborating on a wide array of initiatives, including festivals, government and brand activations. Beyond her professional endeavours, Dorothy is a fervent advocate for the arts, actively participating in various cultural committees and serving as a sought-after speaker at international events. Her impact has been widely recognised, earning her titles such as one of the "5 Most Influential Women to Watch in 2022," a place among the "10 Most Influential Women Leaders of 2021," and the distinguished honour of being named the #1 Female Art & Culture creator on LinkedIn in 2023.
Emilio Hernandez
Emilio studied Product Design from Nottingham Trent University, and subsequently began his career in lighting at Hilson Moran Partnership, developing 3D modelling techniques to simulate daylight & sunlight availability in buildings.
After transitioning into artificial lighting design he moved to GIA Equation in 2010, working on a range of commercial, facade, landscape and hospitality projects. This presented opportunities to work on projects in diverse locations within Europe, MEA & Asia developing a strong understanding of working practices, design priorities and project approaches in these regions.
The varied scale and range of projects has helped him appreciate the scope of the lighting designer and where they can add value at key points in the design and construction process. He also recognises the importance of establishing the lighting designers brief and design narrative which along with regular communication are critical to delivering value to the team and client. Throughout his career, Emilio has been an active member of the lighting community and has spoken at design conferences and provided CPD’s to raise awareness of the benefits that human focussed and sustainable lighting design can provide.
Emilio is also a founding member of the Green-Light Alliance and current sitting chair.
Eugenia Cheng
Eugenia Cheng is the founder of LightOrigin Studio, an award-winning lighting design studio in Hong Kong aiming to create a leading regional lighting design practice specialising in boutique projects. The studio has completed a diverse range of private and public sector projects locally and internationally. The studio has received recognition at the [D]ARC Awards, LIT Lighting Design Awards and FRAME awards.
Eugenia is a recipient of Lighting 40under40 2022, a member of the CIBSE SLL, and a past nominee for Achievement in Lighting for The Women in Lighting awards. Born and raised in Taipei and Hong Kong, Eugenia studied Art and Design Foundation Studies at Loughborough University, BA (Hons) Interior & Spatial Design at Chelsea College of Art and Design, and MSc Light and Lighting Design at The Bartlett University College London.
Over her career, Eugenia has worked at award-winning lighting design firms in London and Hong Kong, completing projects in China, Europe, Hong Kong, Macau, SE Asia, and South Korea. She has also worked alongside international architectural firms and acclaimed interior design studios. Her universal architectural lighting design portfolio includes five-star hotels, resorts, restaurants, high-end private residential properties, commercial developments, retail, and government and community projects.
Elisa Hillgen
Elisa Hillgen is a lighting designer and a City of Light coordinator at the City of Jyväskylä in Finland. She has previously worked in the field of building and interior design, and has almost 16 years of experience in different fields of lighting. For the last 7 years, she has focused on urban lighting and light art projects. Her job as the lighting coordinator of Jyväskylä includes taking care of the dark time cityscape by organizing design projects and maintenance for urban lighting and working in the light festival team. In her own artistic work she is especially interested in light art in public spaces.
Faik Haddadin
An accomplished Senior Projects Director at Emaar, where I spearhead mega projects in the Downtown and Marina areas. Armed with a Master's degree in Construction Project Management, I excel in strategic planning, risk management, team leadership, financial management, contract negotiation, quality assurance, communication, and continuous development. Driven by the new era of technological advancements in construction, I am committed to incorporating cutting-edge solutions into our projects. I am eager to connect with fellow professionals in the construction and real estate industries to exchange insights and explore collaboration opportunities. Feel free to reach out to discuss Emaar's projects or any industry trends.
Faraz Izhar
Faraz is an acclaimed Architectural Lighting Designer based in Dubai, UAE. Currently employed with the multidisciplinary consultancy AE7 as their Lead Lighting Designer, Faraz has delivered diverse and innovative lighting projects, some of which have won prestigious lighting awards regionally/internationally. His extensive, over 15 years of experience covers lighting for hospitality, offices, mixed-use, facades, residences, education, automotive showrooms, museums, religious/community buildings, exhibitions, landscapes, water features, public realm, sports, transport terminals and lighting master planning.
Faraz aims to produce designs which are innovative, sustainable, smart, and future-ready; designs which focus on lighting quality rather than quantity; designs which effortlessly communicate synergy between all the components of a project. He strives towards minimizing the impact of light pollution without compromising on the general lit effect and quality in his projects.
Faraz is passionate about spreading awareness about qualitative aspects of lighting when he gets a chance – whether it’s speaking at the seminars, webinars, or writing articles for various local and international lighting publications, getting actively involved in local lighting activities, or simply taking aid of the right channels on social media to spread the word. In this era of global collaboration, all these activities help him collaborate with distinguished lighting experts around the globe and facilitate a new era of unprecedented creativity. Faraz keeps himself well-informed on the changing and evolving trends/developments in the Lighting Industry. Faraz has a particularly keen interest in the fast-emerging role of Generative AI and its integration with light, lighting & architecturess.
Faysal Al-Haffar
Faysal is a talented lighting designer who has worked on a wide range of façade, landscape, and interior projects throughout the Middle East and North Africa. After gaining a bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering at the University of Beirut, Faysal spent 18 years working for lighting consultancies in the UAE, designing schemes for high-profile projects such as Rosemont Hotel & Residences, Taj Associate Director Hotel & Resort on Palm Jumeirah, and Etihad Museum in Dubai, the Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, and Al Jawharah Tower in Jeddah. Faysal is a natural leader with excellent project management skills. He is an incredibly detailorientated individual and brings his eye for detail to every stage of a project, from initial feasibility studies and design, through to tender support, procurement, construction supervision, and final testing. In his role at Nulty, he oversees every project to ensure that the practice’s schemes continue to push boundaries and help to elevate the final design.
Florence Lam
Florence is an Arup Fellow and Global Lighting Design Director of Arup. As member of their Region Board and Arup University Director for the region, she also has an oversight role to the firm’s strategic foresight capability, applied research and innovation programmes, as well as our communities of experts working to develop our skills and capability to better meet the needs of our clients and drive continuous innovation, including our ventures operations in the UK, India, Middle East and South Africa.
Florence is a multi-award-winning lighting designer with over 15 international and national awards to her name, including Lighting Designer of the Year in 2013 and recipient of the Society of Light and Lighting 2020 President’s Medal.
Ghada Dwaik
Graduated from Faculty of Fine Arts Architecture Department in Cairo and Currently Pursuing Masters at my College, while still a student, I trained At Aga Khan Organization (Restoration Work) as a junior architect, participated in an international Design workshop at Bologna University in Italy. Interested in Interior and Product Design, obsessed with anything related to art & Design.
Hank Shih
Hank Shih has a substantial career history in architectural lighting, spanning over several years and various roles. He began as a Designer at Brandston Partnership Inc in June 1999 and progressed to become a Partner at OLDCOLD in Taiwan from March 2003 to March 2004. Currently, for over 17 years and 10 months, he has been a Partner at J+B Studios Architectural Lighting in Beijing since February 2006. This trajectory showcases his extensive experience and commitment to the field of architectural lighting, culminating in a long-standing partnership at their current studio.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Karolina M. Zielińska-Dąbkowska
Dr. Karolina M. Zielinska-Dabkowska IALD, IES, CIE, MSLL, RIBA is an architect and an award winning practicing lighting designer. She is also an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Architecture, Gdansk University of Technology, Poland, and Co-Founder of GUT LightLab, where she conducts research on various aspects of light and lighting in the built environment. Since 2019 she is a Head of ILLUME the interdisciplinary research group as part of the EcoTech research center at GUT, created to minimize the impact of artificial light pollution on people, flora and fauna. She is also actively engaged in the Technical Committee work of international organisations such as the International Commission on Illumination (CIE), Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), and International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), providing guidelines and sharing best practice for night-time illumination in the built and natural environment.
In 2022 Karolina Founded Responsible Outdoor Lighting at Night (ROLAN) conference and was principal co-author of ROLAN Manifesto.
Lauren Dandridge
Lauren Dandridge Gaines, Co-founder and Principal of Chromatic, a lighting design firm that promotes lighting quality and equality for all communities while pursuing intelligent and beautiful design, is dedicated to expanding what is considered standard lighting education for architects and designers. The crux of her instruction is based on an innate desire for students to understand that without light, no one can see or experience their designs. Without light, there are no shapes, no forms, no mood. Lighting should never be an afterthought.
In order to help guide students, she teaches a better understanding of the correlation between lighting, health and wellness and behavior, improved design techniques, the use of established and newer technologies, and practice at learning what light feels like. She uses small model building, detailing, real life project designing, and local lighting walks and tours and the lighting industry standard calculation software AGI32.
She is an IES award-winning lighting designer and recognizable figure in the local lighting community.
Linus Lopez
With a Master’s degree in Architectural Lighting and Design Management, Linus has also successfully designed and commissioned over two hundred architectural lighting design projects. Transitioning from core electrical engineering to creative aspects of lighting design began with smaller night clubs and art galleries and has slowly grown since 2000 to include corporate offices, institutional campuses, multi-dwelling residential developments, museums, heritage monuments, hospitality & fine dining in India and abroad. The firm is now among the leading Architectural Lighting Design firms in the country with a number of awarded projects.
Linus has presented his work and research at various professional international conferences in Macao, Paris, Singapore, Rotterdam and Barcelona at PLDC and IALD and other lighting design events. He has conducted workshops on design and lighting in India and in Hungary. He is currently serving as visiting faculty to the prestigious School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, and Jindal School of Art & Architecture but has also conducted workshops and master classes at other design schools in India.
Linus is a Professional Member of the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD). He serves as Juror and Mentor for the Silhouette Awards, an international award for emerging lighting designers. He is also a Thought Leader for the Virtual Lighting Design Community (VLDC).
With a strong entrepreneurship inclination and global outlook, Linus is a self-professed constant learner.
Dr. Malini Karani
Interior design can be through many varied approaches which vary from an engineering approach to an artistic or conceptual one and many variations in between. As the head of both the undergraduate and post graduate programmes my approach is to encourage students to create conceptual ideas that are fit for purpose. My thought is that students can experiment with concept ideas when they are studying because these are theoretical projects which allow students to run wild with their imagination. It is important that the studio courses allow for trial and error so that students can try things and know that they won’t fail the course because even when they fail, they can learn an important lesson.
I also enjoying collaborating with various industry partners to enhance student learning. Many designers and suppliers like to run student competitions, workshops and lectures so that they can engage with young and upcoming talent. It is always challenging to get students to believe in themselves enough to participate in competitions and it is very rewarding when a student wins. Even when they don’t win the competition, they learn a lot from their experience participating in it. Giving students a well-rounded experience at university is the most challenging and fulfilling past of the job.
Malak Adel
Malak Adel Holds bachelor's degree in Architectural Engineering and over 14 years of experience in the lighting industry
He’s also a Certified Dialux Evo trainer and part of the Dial GmbH worldwide trainer network.
he was involved in several international award-winning and iconic projects in the Middle East and Europe.
Malak's passion for lighting has been a constant driving force throughout his career.
He recognizes the profound impact lighting can have on any project, transforming spaces and environments.
Before joining Fagerhults Belysning as a Technical Sales Manager, Malak was a part of the Light Alliance Dubai team.
Currently, Malak manages Huda Lighting Group Central Support team, based in Cairo.
In addition to his managerial role, he also dedicates time to mentorship and knowledge-sharing as a Mentor-Lighting Specialist at the Lighting Institute,
further contributing to the development of professionals in the field.
Maria Dautant
Maria Dautant is an award-winning lighting designer with over 15 years’ experience, based in Dubai. A Senior Associate at HLB Lighting Design, Maria has established a Middle East presence for HLB in Dubai. Her experience includes working for renowned lighting design firms in Sydney, New York, and Dubai, on a variety of project types. As a WELL AP certified designer, Maria has a strong understanding of sustainable and wellness design while integrating the aesthetics and needs of her clients.
Maria’s passion for lighting is also reflected in her work as an artist. Her light art pieces have been featured in festivals in Sydney and New York.
As a mentor and educator, Maria has led lighting design workshops in South Korea and the UAE; and was also a part-time Faculty member at Parsons School of Design in New York. She is also an ambassador for Light for Lebanon — a non-profit organization that is providing solar lighting equipment for the poor and deteriorating areas in Beirut.
She is a Professional Member of the Illumination Engineering Society of North America and an Associate Member of the International Association of Lighting Designers, actively working as a coordinator for the IALD Middle East Region.
Maria Younan
Maria Younan, Design Director and Founder of MY Lighting Design, an independent lighting design consultant in Egypt. She is the only Egyptian Associate Member of the IALD, International Association of Lighting Designers and the only member and Egyptian mentor as an independent architecture lighting designer of The WIL, Women in Lighting Association. She holds a Master’s Diploma and a University Degree in Architecture Design from Helwan University, Egypt. Right after her degree, she realized that Lighting design is her passion, and so on her vocation. Since her graduation till date, she worked in different design entities which allowed her to gain a total experience of more than 14 years in the interior and exterior architectural lighting design field during which she executed lighting designs for a number of national projects across Egypt and the Middle East.
Mark Lien
With over 35years experience Mark has a wide range of exposure to many different facets of the lighting industry. He spent 17 years managing a lighting center providing design and sales services to industry professionals and end users. He has designed lighting systems for a wide range of applications including roadway and street lighting, residential, retail, healthcare, manufacturing and both conventional and nuclear power plants. He spent over a decade in lighting education presenting and teaching throughout North America, Asia and the Middle East. Mark has been active in the Illuminating Engineering Society and has served as chair of the IESNA Progress Committee. He is a current member of multiple IESNA, NEMA ALA and ASHRAE Committees and a frequent speaker and teacher at national and international lighting events. He is a columnist for LIghting Design and Application Magazine. Mark served on the Board of Directors of the IES, as Chair of the NEMA Light Source Section and Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Lighting Bureau.
He has attained the Lighting Certified (LC) designation from the NCQLP and is a Certified Lighting Efficiency Professional (CLEP) with the Association
of Energy Engineers. In addition Mark is a Certified Lighting Management Consultant (CLMC) with the National Association of Lighting Management Companies and is a LEED Accredited Professional BD&C granted by the USGBC. He has attained the High-Performance Building Design Professional (HBDP) certification from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
Martin Klaasen
Martin Klaasen is an award-winning lighting designer, design consultant, lecturer and resource speaker with more than 40 years of experience in the lighting design industry operating predominantly in the Asia Pacific region. Martin applies his passion for lighting design exclusively through his own company, Klaasen Lighting Design (KLD), with its head office in Singapore. Many of his designs have received national and international lighting design awards. Martin is widely respected by his peers in the industry. Martin is also the founder of Lighting Design of Things (LDoT), which fills a gap in the industry by providing professional consultancy to facilitate the integration of smart data analytics systems within the lighting infra-structure.
Martin Lupton
Martin Lupton is the co-founder of Light Collective, which he runs alongside fellow co-founder Sharon Stammers. Light Collective is a design project practice that also delivers events and campaigns across the lighting industry. He has played an integral role in the delivery and growth of the worldwide Women In Lighting campaign. His innovative approach, people-centric focus, and ability to energise and enthuse others, significantly increased the volume of design work awarded to the firm.
Mohannad Alsalkhadi
As a Principal Lighting Designer, Mohannad joined WSP in 2023 where one of his main areas of activity is Dark Skies. With his 14 years’ experience, Alsalkhadi is currently working on a wide diversity of regional projects.
Mohannad obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Architectural Engineering at the University of Sharjah, and his Master’s degree in Architectural Lighting and Design Management at the Wismar University of Applied Sciences. His projects experience in the lighting industry includes hospitality, educational, healthcare, art galleries, offices, residential and other types of projects in direct collaborations with leading lighting manufacturers.
Nathan Savage
Nathan Savage Lighting Design L.L.C. is an independent (solely fee paid) architectural lighting design practice based in Dubai. We offer completely impartial advice and work closely with the design team and Client to produce highly innovative and creative, yet practical lighting design solutions that respect the budget available.
Environment and energy efficiency are forever becoming some of the hot topics of conversation in the world in which we live and these are addressed within the design process. We keep abreast of the rapidly changing lighting technologies and guidelines by attending and participating in conference programmes and lighting events in order to offer the very best recommendations to our Clients and assist in raising the awareness of good lighting in our industry as a whole
The projects on which we work are both diverse and far reaching and inherently this beneficially further strengthens our experienced team. Additionally cultural sensitivity and respect are naturally exercised throughout each project providing Clients with a professional design approach to exceed their lighting expectations.
Alexia Gkika
Alexia is personally and professionally invested in putting sustainability objectives in the foreground of Buro Happold’s work, transcending from broad thinking to practical implementation and recording of workfows.
She has experience in working directly with end clients in providing consultancy services and design expertise to enable their sustainability and ESG targets. She is also engaged with leading manufacturers in providing the specifier’s view on sustainability evidence and R&D.
Paul Traynor
Paul is the founder of UK-based Light Bureau which joined AFRY (then ÅF Lighting) in 2017, growing the team to about 100 lighting experts. The whole lighting design offer of AFRY later assumed the brand Light Bureau.
Rupert Tait
Rupert Tait combines his finance and economics expertise to spearhead Smith Tait, a lighting design firm he co-founded and expanded into the UAE from South Africa. His business acumen has been pivotal in adapting to the distinct demands of the MENA markets, ensuring Smith Tait's steady growth and focus on delivering functional, client-driven lighting solutions.
Ruskin Hartley
Ruskin Hartley, CEO of DarkSky International, leads a global movement for natural night skies, combating light pollution's harm to health, wildlife, ecosystems, and climate while inspiring worldwide action. Born in the UK, he now resides in Tucson, Arizona, USA. DarkSky.org
Sakina Dugawalla
There are not many people like Sakina.
A Tanzanian by birth, Sakina Dugawalla-Moeller is a citizen of the world, settling in Dubai at 21 where she has graduated as an Interior Designer, but dedicated her whole career towards lighting excellence. Living in the UK, spending ample time in Australia, has further opened her passion to continue to reinvent the way lighting design is approached - if you want the unconventional, the not experimented before, but also proven lighting solutions, then this is the person to speak to!
A gregarious individual and professional designer with extensive experience in the Middle East spanning 15 years, her passion envelopes all things artistic, with an innate focus on lighting design.
Sakina is Founder and Design Director of Light.Func – the first independent lighting design studio to be founded by a woman in UAE and Tanzania. Light.Func’s approach is that each project is unique, thus the final product are tailor-made works of art and conscious thinking.
Apart from her daily role as Design Director at Light.Func, she is passionate about education, actively promoting Light.ication, Ready Steady Light ME by SLL, the ThinkLight conference content - since 2016, which now has opened doors to other industry peers investing time into the Light Middle East exhibition.
Sakina is also the Women In Lighting Ambassador of the UAE.
Sebnem Gemalmez
Şebnem Gemalmaz is a Lighting Design Leader at Arup. Over recent years, she has worked as an associate and lighting designer with leading architectural studios on an array of national and international projects.
Şebnem studied urban planning, and holds an M.Sc.Urban Design from Yıldız Technical University-Istanbul and an M.Sc. Architectural Lighting Design KTH-Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden.
Experienced in design from urban scale to product detail, Sebnem has a multi-dimensional comprehension of space. Her projects provide integrated design solutions, bringing together a range of specialists
She has a keen interest in urban scale lighting work, specialised in developing lighting planning strategies for cities. Past work includes the development of two urban lighting projects for Stockholm, ahead of the city’s lighting masterplan in 2009.
Sebnem joined Arup’s Lighting Design team in 2013. She currently leads several lighting masterplan projects across a variety of scales and locations, and is a guest lecturer on lighting design.
Sharon Stammers
Stammers began her studies in Wales, completing a degree in Theatre Studies. Wanting to stay out of the spotlight (a trait that has followed her throughout her education and career), Stammers opted to focus her studies behind the scenes, in particular on sound, set design and lighting.
Aspiring to be a Theatre Lighting Designer, Stammers quickly became unsatisfied with working on the fringes. “Hardly anyone came to see the shows, you had to take all the lights down once the show was over and only the actors got to fully experience the lighting,” reflected Stammers.
Taking all of her experience in the theatre, Stammers went on to complete a City & Guilds Electricians qualification that gave her the confidence to persevere in the then male dominated industry, where she became the Technical Director at a venue in Brixton.
Tapio Rosenius
TAPIO ROSENIUS is a Finnish designer and an entrepreneur and has been working with light as a medium for design collaborations, product innovation and art since 1998.
He is the co-founder and CEO at Skandal Technologies developers of the POET Creator control system envisioned to create and manage the new breed of real-time environments that combine data, lighting, media, sound and sensing to influence how people experience places.
His work seeks to create tangible connection between artificial light, media, digital futures and the human experience. He is a pioneer in the use of biomimetic and responsive lighting control in built environment and continues to develop systems, masterplans, visions and technologies related to this field at Skandal Tech.
In 2009 he founded Lighting Design Collective (LDC) a thought-leading international lighting design practice in Madrid, Spain and later co-founded LDC studios in Helsinki and London. In 2014 he co-created “Think-in-a-Tank” lighting research program taking place during Helsinki Design Week and is actively involved in EU wide research programs and events.
His work has been recognised in design fields including the Media Architecture Biennale Award and the IALD Award of Excellence. His publications include “Create the Livable City”, 2014, London. He has acted as guest lecturer and critic for ETSAM University in Madrid, IED Madrid, UPC Barcelona, Parsons School of Design in New York, Aalto University in Helsinki and many others. Tapio lives and works in Madrid, Spain.