ABOUT OUR TEAM

Light . Funcers

Passionate, highly skilled, and multi-talented. You’ll want our team by your side.

We’re a diverse and quirky bunch of individuals who understand the intricacies of lighting, design, and execution. Our motto is to get it done, with uncompromising quality.


MEET OUR TEAM

We’re a boutique studio, making a BIG impact. United in industry-leading, brilliant, sustainable, innovative lighting design, we thrive as a team to make the unique brand of Light.Func magic happen. We have sound family values and unwavering ethics, bringing out the very best in our people and projects.

Rouwaida Dugawalla

Managing Director - Partner

Rouwaida, otherwise known as Rou, is the business director for all our regions. She is instrumental in the efficiency of the team, making sure projects are audited and executed to the Design Director’s intent. She is in charge of all administrative, human resources, and accounting for the studio. Rou is the Light.Func beacon of light – her positivity and enthusiasm are second-to-none.

Donna Lyn Cada

Document Controller & Administrator

Donna can only be described as a breath of fresh air. A multi-tasker and immaculate organiser, she is invaluable to our team. Donna ensures compliance to project standards, timely submissions, project records and planning, as well as adherence to deadlines. Beyond just accuracy and timely submissions officer, Donna has become a mentor to the team, especially when the pressure is on!

Sakina Dugawalla-Moeller

Founder-Design Director

With a flair and passion for the creative, Sakina is founder of Light.Func. Gregarious in nature, she leads the team in delivering design of the highest creative and technical quality. With over a decade of experience in the Middle East, she goes beyond just design, being actively involved in education and speaking on the international stage to inspire the lighting community.

Feisal Abasi

Manager - Specifications & Marketing

Feisal spearheads our specifications, with an innate eye for detail making sure all documentation and project specifications are done to the highest standard. He has an eye for art, creating content for the Studio Brand Identity so our message is clear. With his easygoing nature and creative mindset, he sets a great tone for the whole team resulting in fun for an inclusive design team.

Priyanka Viegas

Senior Lighting Designer

With over eight years’ experience in interior design and lighting, Priyanka has both a BAID and a masters in marketing. She is driven by her passion to produce results that astound. Innately artistic, she uses software to bring the studio’s creativity to life. With an artistic take on design, she influences the quality of design that the Creative Team produces.

Andrea El Osta

Senior Lighting Designer

Andrea loves to create impact through innovative lighting. She brings a wealth of experience to Light.Func, having worked on interior and lighting design for cultural and artistic projects in Milan, high-tech office retail environments, hospitality, and theatrical lighting. Her confidence and determination are a huge asset to our studio.

Binesh Chandra

Senior Technical & BIM Lead

Binesh is a passionate designer with over a decade experience working in the Middle East. With a background in chemistry, he has a flair for complex software and technology – a perfect combination to produce exemplary lighting design. He has fantastic attention to detail, excellent nature and keeps pushing the boundaries.

Gayle Coutinho

Technical Designer & Team Leader

Gayle is historically a creative 3D modeller with a strong background in gaming. She joined the Light.Func Creative Team to develop her skills and progress under Priyanka. In a mere three years, she has grown exponentially in technical knowledge, naturally taking on the role of the Technical Team Leader. She is the youngest Light.Funcer!

Janno Cuenco

Senior Technical Designer

Janno is our in-house architect, AutoCAD guru and resident gentleman. With more than a decade of experience leading architectural and engineering teams, he leads the team in all aspects of technical drawings with his laser-sharp eye for detail. Driven by perfecting all aspects of design, he inspires the rest of the team to an even higher level of excellence.

James Hensman

Creative Lighting Designer

James is the latest addition to our team and is an integral part of the Creative Team. With attention to detail, immaculate communication and a passion for all things light, he is a natural lighting designer. Sometimes light chooses us, sometimes we choose it, James chose light. Join us in welcoming him to the team as of December 2023!

Sowmya Sundaresan

Lighting Designer & Visualiser

Sowmya comes with a varied experience on her portfolio. A wonderful take on visualisation is her forte. With a background in Multimedia Design, she is a dedicated Creative Team member with a decade in various roles. Beyond visualisation, she is very knowledgeable on aspects of lighting design, including Contract Administration.

Sheetal Pawar

Intermediate Lighting Designer

Sheetal brings a skill set to the studio complementing what we offer as a Team. Quiet in nature, she is studious, very well-read & versed on complex lighting design principles. Whether it is a Sustainability or Creative strategy, she is able to implement design that is well thought out and rounded. She is quickly growing into a Senior Lighting Design role.

Ebtihal Mohammed

Technical Lighting Designer

Ebtihal is another addition to the Light.Func team initially starting from the Creative Team to the Technical team. Sassy, vivacious, she embraces all new challenges with a calm veneer. Working in both the Creative and Technical teams within the Studio, she’s quickly becoming a great asset. She is flexible not just in learning new software but absorbing information that is specific to each project.

GET IN TOUCH. WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!


Talk to some of the brightest minds in the industry. Contact us today for help and advice on any aspect of your lighting design.