Robert Fernandes
Managing Partner + Principal / BArch CoA SoE
Robert Fernandes is the managing partner & design principal of FACE Architecture + Design and a leading figure in the regional construction industry. He has extensive experience leading large multi-disciplinary teams and has contributed to several signature projects across the UAE & Oman; the Mall of the Emirates, Mirdif City Centre & the Anantara Eastern Mangroves to name a few.
Having accrued over 40 years of experience in the built environment, he has completed hundreds of high profile projects of various natures & sizes in residential, commercial, mixed use, retail, automotive, education & industrial sectors. His portfolio includes being partner at Holford Associates, one of the UAE’s earliest & largest award winning architecture & interior practices. Robert established FACE in 2009 after Holfords was acquired by Hyder Consulting plc in 2008 for £9.8 million.
As a business director, he provides consultancy services to a portfolio of some of the most elite clientele in the region. At his professional core, Robert is an energetic, practical architect & construction specialist excelling in design efficiency & problem solving.
Asma AlShamsi
Local Partner / BSc Civil SoE
Asma AlShamsi is the local partner of FACE Architecture + Design and plays an essential role in the firm’s growing success. She is a well-connected professional crafting relationships with some of the UAE’s leading developers and initiating discussions for new ventures in the built environment.
Asma is a civil/structural engineer by profession with a decade of experience handling large infrastructure projects through her tenure as a senior manager in DEWA. Dynamic & ambitious, she leads a team of 124 people and a portfolio of 225 substations in a highly technical environment. At FACE, she aids in engineering & infrastructural design as well as supports the firm with consulting, public relations & talent scouting. She is also interested in architectural / engineering research and an expert at value engineering – creating proposals for energy efficient prototypes for future UAE substations.
Asma has achieved a significant set of milestones during her career. She has initiated modifications on a 400/132kV substation making millions of savings over many substation developments, has been a group leader at WETEX and is a member of the Dubai Global Energy Forum organizing team.