Benz Roos
Benz studied Architectural Design at the Royal Art Academy, The Hague in The Netherlands.
During this time he developed a passion for lighting design and consequently went on to study for a Masters in Architectural Lighting Design at the University of Wismar in Germany. In 2008 Benz joined Speirs Major Light Architecture as an Assistant Designer and was promoted to Design Associate in 2017. In 2020 he was made Associate Partner. His ambition is to bring more imagination into the experience of a space – if applied to fantastic architecture and public
realm, light can make the experience for people even better.
Benz has worked on a number of projects including the multi-award winning Gasholders London in the King’s Cross development, the City of London Lighting Strategy, and the innovative Lights over Kruunuvuorenranta in Helsinki, Finland. He was also integral to the design for ‘In Lumine Tuo’, an animated light installation in Utrecht, The Netherlands which won the top prize in lighting design, the IALD Radiance Award, in 2014 as well as the recently completed reimagining of the
design which has now become permanent. Other recently completed projects include Taikoo Place development in Hong Kong, Broadgate Estate in London and the public realm lighting design at Canada Water.
Benz has a keen interest in research and development, helping to design the award-winning street lighting luminaire Aeroblades which was developed with Cree Inc. He also collaborated on the Eira luminaire with Fagerhult, and most recently, on the new lighting fixture ‘CELLS’ with manufacturer Reggiani. He was a key member of the design team for the Third Age of Light research project and led the design for the ground-breaking ‘Our Time on Earth’ climate exhibition
at The Barbican Centre.
Kit Thavaseelan
Kit studied Architecture Part 1 and Part 2 at the University of Creative Arts in the UK where he gained a passion for designing story-driven spaces and realised light to be an important tool to express stories and the experience of different spaces.
Kit joined Speirs Major Light Architecture in 2022 as an Assistant Designer and has worked on a major retail development in China as well as two workplace developments in London.
Kit appreciates how designers at Speirs Major Light Architecture are encouraged to explore their interests through the different projects the studio works on. He has been able to work on installations and projects that work on combining sound and light.
Kit can speak Tamil and enjoys music production, creating and editing short films, and exploring different creating outlets.
David Atkinson
David Atkinson Lighting Design (DALD)’s founder, David Atkinson, was named Lighting Designer of the Year (UK Lighting Design Awards, 2011) and has won numerous international awards since forming practice more than 30 years ago. Many of its architectural schemes are informed by Atkinson’s early background in theatre, film, music and fashion lighting.
He studied at the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art and worked in disciplines such as television and commercial presentations before entering the architectural lighting field. He still has an active interest in these areas in addition to being an Associate of the International Association of Lighting Designers and his many international public-speaking engagements.
Sebastián Mealla
Sebastián Mealla is the Co-Founder and CEO of ProtoPixel, a pioneering tool that enables anyone to build and make feel anything with light. With over 25 years of work across creative technology, innovation, and design, he blends business, research, and user-centric thinking to create tools that transform everyday environments.
Sebastián holds a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction, and before founding ProtoPixel, he worked as an innovation manager at the Music Technology Group (Universitat Pompeu Fabra), bridging advanced AI tools into gaming, music, and health industries.
Louise Denton
With nearly two decades in the lighting industry, Louise brings expertise in client consultations and building strong partnerships with professionals across lighting specification and sales. Since graduating from university in her youth, she has developed a passion for design-led solutions, enabling her to collaborate successfully with architects, interior designers, and lighting designers on diverse projects, with a particular focus on high-end residential work. Known for her attention to detail and ability to balance aesthetic vision with practical functionality, Louise is a trusted partner in helping to deliver bespoke lighting schemes that elevate luxury living spaces.
Kuldeep Vali
Kuldeep Vali is the founder of “RISE with AI,” a no-code AI mentor and consultant, and a former lighting leader with 25 years experience (incl. Philips).
Over the past three years, he reinvented his career through Wharton’s Digital Transformation program and Mindvalley’s AI Mastery program, where his project won the Best AI Product Award (2023). From that journey, he created the R.I.S.E. framework (Reimagine, Integrate, Show Up, Elevate) to help busy professionals adopt AI in weeks, not years. He has trained 100+ professionals in the last few months. With his Reimagine and AI-First approach, he now helps lighting designers and manufacturers integrate no-code AI to upskill and kick-start long-term AI transformation.
James Sherman
James Sherman is an international award-winning design consultant, focused on the development and execution of natural and artificial lighting strategies.
In recent years, he has collaborated with a wide range of distinguished clients, including multi-national technology/media companies, national culture organisations, and private VIP’s, to deliver specialist lighting solutions for high-profile projects around the world.
His enduring passion to search for simple, powerful artistry using a strong basis of scientific capability has led him through an wide breadth and scale of projects - from the design of lighting strategies for global retail project roll-outs and the development of unique, cutting-edge lighting products to support them, to the invention of sophisticated workflows, tools, and devices to delve deeply into the dynamics that govern the relationship between natural phenomena and human perception, psychology, well-being, and delight.
Specific fields of interest include computer graphics, material science, artificial intelligence, and data visualisation.
Willie Duggan
Willie Duggan is a keynote speaker, lighting designer, and educator. His passion for light and health was ignited by a personal health crisis in 2013, which led him to explore epigenetics, quantum biology, and the profound role of light in human wellbeing. A Chartered Engineer with Masters in Light & Lighting from UCL, he now leads Willie Duggan Lighting, transforming the family business into a leading consultancy. An award-winning designer and recent keynote at IALD Enlighten Europe, he champions a new paradigm where design, science, and medicine meet.
