Fernando Rial Ponce is Head of Studio Design at KEO International Consultants in Doha, with over 23 years of international architectural experience across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. He began his career in Spain and later held senior roles at HOK and NBBJ in Shanghai and Hong Kong. At KEO, he leads landmark concept design projects, including masterplans, high-rises, hospitality and mixed-use developments.

Fernando was nominated as Architect of the Year in KSA (2025), ranked #7 on the 30 Creative Powerlist by Design Middle East, and shortlisted for Architect of the Year at the Future of Architecture Awards (2025).

He is a frequent speaker and critic at leading institutions and events, and holds degrees from ESARQ, ELISAVA, and Quantic. His design ethos blends contextual innovation with global ambition and collaborative rigor.

Ron Hull, P.E, CDT® is the Global Director of High-Performance Products for Kuraray. Ron is based in the USA and holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a Master’s in Business Administration. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Facade Tectonics Institute (FTI) and CSI South Florida Chapter and is also the Secretary and Treasurer of the Glazing Industry Code Committee (GICC). Ron is an active member of the Florida AIA, Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) and Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA).

Celeste joined Meinhardt Façade Technology in 2008 and is now MFT's Technical Director, bringing over 20 years of experience in engineering—17 of which are focused on façade design across the Middle East and Central Asia.

She began her career in structural engineering, working on U.S. military bases and civil infrastructure projects in Guam before completing her Master’s in Structural Engineering and transitioning into façade engineering consultancy.

At Meinhardt, Celeste has led the design and delivery of a wide spectrum of façade systems, including complex geometry envelopes, working closely with multidisciplinary teams on high-rise, hospitality, and cultural developments. A LEED AP BD+C since 2011, she is a committed advocate for sustainable façade design and contributes actively to the development of low-carbon, performance-led building skins that reflect best-practice engineering principles.

Manoj Divakaran has over 35 years of outstanding track record as a business leader and entrepreneur and is currently recognised as a thought leader in the renewable energy and water industries. He has successfully incubated various innovative ventures and projects in the renewable energy and water sectors with a special focus on architectural solar integration into iconic buildings to promote a sustainable Net-Zero future. He has mentored many start-ups and has assisted innovative industries to expand into architectural solar.

He is the Founder and Managing Director of Empereal Energy - A group of companies formed to address the global infrastructure challenges in making renewable energy and fresh water available to all. Empereal has created numerous innovative and award-winning solutions and have implemented many challenging projects in renewable energy and water desalination. Empereal operates in Singapore, India Central Asia and the Middle East. Empereal is recognised as a pioneer in Architectural Solar for the award-winning design and projects at Dubai Expo 2020 and various Net-Zero buildings in the region. Empereal partners with Mitrex – the world’s largest Building Integrated Solar Photovoltaic company - to lead the adoption of architectural solar facades in the Middle East.

Empereal designs and implements various architectural solar solutions. Empereal works with various architects and developers to achieve custom integration of aesthetic and efficient solar PV into new Net-zero buildings. Empereal has successfully designed and implemented several iconic architectural solar façade projects for leading global architects like Santiago Calatrava, Adrian Smith (ASGG), Hopkins Architects, Atelier Du Prado, Asif Khan, Woods Bagot, SOM, Killa Design etc.

Manoj is widely travelled and is a keen student of business, culture and philosophy. He is a mentor to many and is a big believer in sharing his learning with others. He writes and speaks regularly on issues and solutions related to architectural solar integration and sustainable design. He is actively passionate about cricket, writing, food and trekking.

Joan is a consultant at sedak , providing guidance to architects and facade engineers on innovative and complex designs. With 26 years of experience in facades and custom glass solutions, he has contributed to projects across the globe. Joan holds a degree in industrial design engineering and a master’s in marketing. He gained in-depth knowledge in curved glass and the design of glass configurations.

Francesca Rossi is an Associate Façade Consultant at Buro Happold in Riyadh, with international experience in the façade industry. She previously spent eight years with a specialist consultancy in London, where she honed her ability to deliver practical, efficient designs across all stages of a project—from early concept through to construction.

Her portfolio spans a wide range of sectors and geographies, having contributed to landmark developments in the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Francesca’s work is driven by a commitment to balancing façade performance, constructability, and sustainable design solutions, while remaining aligned with the architectural vision. Her commitment to harmonizing aesthetic ambition with technical precision makes her a key contributor to innovative and challenging façade design.

Dinesh Kumar Nalukurti is a professional with over two decades of experience in the building materials industry. He recently took the position of General Manager for Saint-Gobain Glass International in charge of the glass business in North America, Middle East, Africa and Oceania.

Under his leadership, the company achieved significant growth in sales, new customer acquisition and customer satisfaction. Dinesh's expertise spans commercial acumen, marketing strategy, business development, and team management. He has successfully launched new products, managed key architectural projects, and provided technical guidance to stakeholders. Previously, Dinesh held roles such as Marketing Director in Paris and Marketing Manager in Chennai, where he drove strategic roadmaps and digital marketing initiatives. His previous role was as Sales Director for Middle East and Oceania. Dinesh holds a Business degree from IIM Bangalore and a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Osmania University. Fluent in English and intermediate in French, he also speaks several Indian languages.

Usman Ahmed is the Sales and Specification Manager for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain at Saint-Gobain Glass. With over 12 years in the group and 7 years in the Middle East, he has played a key role in expanding the business tenfold. An engineer by training with an MBA, Usman is a highly trained glass expert who works closely with leading consultants and architects in the region, while also supporting global teams on landmark projects being designed for the region. His expertise bridges technical depth and market insight, driving innovative façade solutions across the Gulf.

Born in Milan, of Japanese origins, he boasts over 10 years’ experience in the indoor and outdoor solar shading sector, during which he has provided assistance and advice to designers in major international projects, as a result of his profound expertise in the field of glass and blind systems, as well as his fluency in 6 languages. At Pellini SpA, he works as Architectural Specification Manager and MEIA Export Manager in the field of internal, external and integrated technical blind systems. Besides management skills of a composite commercial network, he boasts significant technical competence, which allows him to establish a direct relationship with the main architectural and engineering firms of the facades in all phases of the project, from budgeting to installation.

Ben Runhaar is the Product & Marketing Manager for LUMIFLON resins and FLUON ETFE Film for AGC Chemicals in the EMEA Region. In his over 25-year career, he held functions in sales, marketing and product management in different parts of the world. In 2013 he joined AGC Chemicals in Europe taking the responsible for the sales and marketing of two product lines (LUMIFLON and ETFE FILM), both finding many applications in the Architectural Market. He has been actively involved in the development and growth of powder-coatings passing the highest Qualicoat Class 3 standard, suitable to withstand the harsh conditions in the Middle East. Fluon ETFE Film has become the standard for light weight architectural Roof and Façade Film for Biodomes, Stadiums, Shopping Malls, and Atriums. He holds a master’s degree in Polymer Chemistry from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands.

Eiad Shami leads the Fire and Life Safety team in Saudi Arabia for WSP in the Middle East, specializing in fire risk management for evolving urban landscapes, including hospitality and tourism-driven developments. With extensive experience in fire safety design for complex commercial and high-rise projects, he has played a key role in developing regulatory frameworks that balance prescriptive and performance-based approaches aligned with international standards.

As tourism-driven projects evolve, Eiad focuses on embedding fire safety strategies into new and existing assets, ensuring compliance while maintaining design integrity. His expertise extends to risk assessments for heritage sites and infrastructure assets, identifying potential hazards and implementing tailored mitigation measures to safeguard visitors.

Beyond design, Eiad has contributed to research on façade fire safety, fire service operations, and facilities management across the Middle East. His strategic advisory work supports large-scale fire and emergency management planning, helping authorities and developers establish resilient fire safety policies that align with the dynamic nature of modern tourism.

Musa worked at Orgadata for ten years in sales, training, product development, and marketing. During this time, he interacted with hundreds of customers in more than twenty countries. At Çuhadaroğlu, he prepared tender packages for large-scale construction projects, joined tender negotiations, and arranged international contracts as a tender manager. Later, he worked as a purchasing manager for two years, managing an annual budget of $20 million and expanding his customer network with a strong supplier network.

From 2023 to 2025, he was the sales manager for Çuhadaroğlu’s Interax, Interwall, and Intersecure brands. He was responsible for global sales and marketing activities for office partition systems, automatic doors, fire-resistant aluminum systems, and bullet-resistant aluminum systems. In 2025, he started working as the Architectural Projects Manager at Şişecam.

These different roles helped him grow personally and professionally, and also supported the development of his international network.

A Partner at Allies and Morrison, Simon Gathercole is an experienced architect and masterplanner. Currently based in London, he has been leading major projects in the Middle East for over 15 years, including 3 years based in Doha during the delivery of the Msheireb Downtown Doha project.

Under Simon’s leadership, this year Allies and Morrison opened a studio in Jeddah within the Al Balad, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Simon is also leading the practice’s work in this historic core which spans masterplanning, public realm design and architecture. Building on 10 years of project experience in Saudi Arabia, the studio now supports the practice’s sustainable regeneration, architecture, heritage and landscape work across the region.

Simon studied at the University of Cambridge and Harvard GSD, working in London and New York before joining Allies and Morrison in 2005. He became a Partner of the practice in 2015.