We Love Light

Breaking the Mold

In a world where lighting often feels like an afterthought, We Light is redefining the narrative. Exceptional lighting isn’t just for grand theaters or luxury hotels—it’s for every space, every budget, and every vision. Our mission is to bring innovative, sustainable, and healthy lighting solutions to environments ranging from world-class attractions to practical everyday spaces, ensuring that lighting is both functional and transformative. With decades of experience, our team has contributed to some of North America’s most acclaimed projects, from cultural landmarks to cutting-edge commercial spaces.

We break the mold by combining creative design, project management, and advanced technology to push the boundaries of lighting. Our expertise spans architectural lighting, controls integration, daylighting strategies, and dynamic programming—reimagining outdated processes to create impactful, meticulously executed solutions. At We Light, we are your dedicated partner, offering end-to-end accountability and flexibility to bring your vision to life with precision, innovation, and lasting impact.

Our Designers

Paul Boken

LC, IALD

Toronto

At the heart of We Light is Paul Boken, whose leadership bridges the gap between visionary design and practical implementation. With deep expertise in both the creative and technical aspects of lighting, Paul ensures our team’s innovative ideas translate into functional, achievable designs. His collaborative approach guarantees that each project aligns with budgetary and timeline expectations while delivering exceptional, impactful results.

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Paul’s unique ability to integrate stage lighting techniques into architectural settings adds a distinct edge to our work. By applying principles from theatrical lighting—where every beam tells a story and sets a mood—he helps our team develop dynamic, human-centric designs that engage occupants and enrich spaces.

Modern lighting systems require more than fixtures; they demand thoughtful programming and engaging content. Paul draws on his experience working with talent from the stage lighting industry, ensuring our installations are not only visually stunning but also meaningful and responsive. From managing the complexities of programming to generating adaptive content, Paul’s guidance empowers our designers to push boundaries while maintaining precision.

Under Paul’s leadership, We Light delivers lighting solutions that are as creative as they are practical—capturing the art of light while meeting the real-world needs of every project.

Ruchika Kaushal

M.ARCH, MIES

Toronto

Ruchika leads innovative lighting design projects at WeLight with creativity and technical precision. With 14 years of experience, Ruchika has worked across diverse sectors, including institutional, corporate, public spaces, transportation, exhibits, zoos, private residences, and museums. Her portfolio showcases her unique ability to blend artistic vision with technical expertise, using bold lighting strokes to craft exceptional, transformative lighting experiences.

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Ruchika’s leadership ensures that every project is approached holistically, with seamless coordination from concept to completion. She excels in managing multidisciplinary teams, ensuring that each project stays true to the client’s vision, meets budgetary constraints, and aligns with sustainability goals.

In addition to her design expertise, Ruchika brings a strong background in business development, proposal creation, and financial strategy, offering a well-rounded perspective on every project. She is dedicated to nurturing long-term client relationships and fostering innovation in lighting design, ensuring that the power of light enhances each space she touches.

Shilpa Pathak

P.Eng., MBA, LC

Calgary

Shilpa is We Light’s project management electrical engineering and lighting design leader in Alberta. Her 17-year lighting design career spans Canada, Ireland, and Singapore; a diversity of places home to a variety of projects that all demonstrate Shilpa’s ability to master the art of blending technical precision and creative expression. Shilpa’s Canadian project portfolio includes work with the Calgary Film Centre and the University District West Campus Lighting, where her innovative designs have left a lasting impact.

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Shilpa actively supports the lighting design industry through education and leadership. She serves on the IES Calgary Board of Managers (2024-2025) and has taught lighting fundamentals as part of the Illuminating Engineering Society’s Introduction to Lighting course. As a teacher and mentor, Shilpa helps her students gain strong fundamentals in the physics of light, essential regulations, and industry standards and best practices.

Shilpa’s involvement in We Light ensures a seamless blend of creativity, technology, and functionality. Her ability to design complex lighting systems and foster collaboration with the broader team makes her an essential asset for realizing the lighting design potential of your next project.

Rick Arikado

MIES

Vancouver

Rick Arikado, Senior Electrical and Lighting Designer brings over 30 years of experience, with a specialty focus on creative and functional lighting solutions. Rick has contributed his expertise to a diverse portfolio of commercial, institutional, and public projects. Notable among his work are the artful lighting installations for TD Cambie & Broadway, Delta City Hall Entry, and the Musqueam Gathering Place and Canoe at YVR, demonstrating his ability to blend aesthetics with technical precision.

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Rick’s work extends beyond lighting alone, as evidenced by his leadership on complex projects like the YVR People’s Park Totem Poles exhibit. His thoughtful design approach ensures that lighting is not just functional but integral to the storytelling and identity of these spaces.

For Rick, lighting is more than illumination—it’s an art form that transforms environments. This philosophy is reflected in his work on two restaurant projects at River Rock Casino, where lighting plays a central role in creating atmosphere and guest experience. His ability to integrate art lighting into larger tenant outfitting projects, such as the TD Art Lighting initiative, showcases his versatility and attention to detail.

With a deep understanding of controls, modeling, and system design, Rick excels in turning creative visions into reality. His experience with acoustical spaces, cultural exhibits, and public installations highlights his unique ability to connect technology, design, and human expertise—delivering lighting solutions that resonate beyond the visual.

Jad Butkovic

Toronto

Jad Butkovic is a lighting designer and project leader based out of Toronto. Jad’s 25 year-long career has followed a transformational period of development in lighting technologies that have created better spaces for people while reducing costs for asset owners. Jad has harnessed these technologies and applied them in creative lighting retrofit and redesign project engagements in virtually every building type – particularly those owned and operated by public sector organizations – as well as exterior lighting infrastructure. Jad’s designs have won awards, and, when implemented through Energy Performance Contracting projects, have helped his clients reduce their operating costs, often across asset portfolios spanning dozens of facilities and millions of square feet of building space.

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Notable clients where Jad has worked to deliver cost-effective and creative lighting redesign retrofit and redesign solutions include:

The Government of Nunavut where Jad has developed lighting retrofits for over 200 buildings located throughout Nunavut’s remote arctic communities. This work was undertaken as part of the Atuttiarniq Energy Program.
Many of Canada’s Largest Municipalities such as the City of Toronto, City of Saskatoon, City of Winnipeg, City of Kingston, City of Windsor, and more, where Jad has applied emerging high-performance lighting retrofit solutions to solve lighting quality and operational inefficiencies in major recreational centres, emergency services buildings, parks and rec. services facilities, and offices. This work is often delivered under turn-key project delivery models that bundle dozens of facilities together to maximize value to the client.
Post-Secondary Institutions such as the University of British-Columbia’s Vancouver Campus, University of Toronto, Dalhousie University, Mohawk College, and more. Jad has managed major lighting retrofit projects that migrate all or most of these institutions’ campuses to new, high-performance LED lighting and advanced lighting controls solutions that reduce operating and maintenance costs through energy efficiency, product standardization, and longer product lifespans.

Manan Kapoor

Edmonton

Manan Kapoor is an electrical engineer and project manager based out of Edmonton. Manan has over 20 years of electrical engineering design experience spanning a variety of projects across the public and private sectors. He has led electrical design scope for including power systems, solar PV integration, communications, security and fire alarm systems, but is best known as our local ‘go-to’ resource in Edmonton for lighting and lighting controls solutions. Manan is well-versed in electrical and energy codes, and has routinely applied sustainable design such as LEED and WELL on his projects seeking these sustainable design certifications.

Get Started Today

Reach out to us to discuss which tier aligns best with your goals. Experience a new standard of creativity, accountability, and excellence in lighting design.