Your Interview Maureen Nkoyenum Udoh

Introduce yourself (name, company, position, country) and tell us how you got into lighting design (including education/qualifications).

My name is Maureen Nkoyenum Udoh 
Company name: DA-LUMINA EFFECTS SERVICES LIMITED (Lumina Effects) 
Position: CEO/Founder (Architectural Lighting Design) 
Country: Nigeria  

I hold a Bachelor of Science degree (Bsc) in Business Administration from University of Benin Nigeria. I got into lighting in 2017 by accident and that accident birthed passion. I work in a bank, my sister who is a fashion designer called me one day and asked me one question I had dreaded at that time, which was… “if I was laid off by the bank, what was my fall back plan?” my response was too weak and she said I should go and learn a skill. I knew I had passion for events but I didn’t know where to plug in. I called a friend who was in the event space to ask her the question that changed everything … “what aspect of your job do you have a need?’’ and she responded that sourcing for mood lights was a problem in her industry. That was the light bulb moment, I immediately went to the internet to get a suitable business name associated with light and that was where the name LUMINA (which means Light in Latin) came from. I had no equipment but I started owning the business and the name telling friends and family I was into lighting. 

Tell us about your work – is there a specific type of project you like to work on or an area you specialise in and why?

We specialize in the installation of string/fairy lights during Christmas and special occasion for homes, business outlets and public spaces. Our architecture has evolved over the years. We chose this niche because the end of the year comes with its excitements, the joy of transforming a space from its regular look all year round to an attraction site is what motivates us to do more. The project I look forward to doing is a sky scraper with over 20 floors. I believe such project will push us out of our comfort Zone.

What project are you most proud of and why?

There are two projects actually but our first pick will be the installation we did for a massive church in Lagos, it really stretched us but we were able to execute brilliantly. The client doubted our competence, at the end of the project, we were called to do another project.

What is the biggest challenge that you have overcome in your career?

The biggest challenge was doing a set up for a client, to us and the project supervisors, the job was beautiful, the client (project owner) asked us to pull it all down, we did and we started all over again. We lost money and man hours but we didn’t mind as that project gave us a bragging right to bid for other jobs.

How does light inspire you?

Oh light changes my mood, especially string lights, when I see them , it activates my creativity. For us in Lumina Effects, we have changed the traditional use of fabrics to create Christmas designs and replaced them with lights. For us, what fabrics can do, we create them with lights.

What is your message for other Women In Lighting?

Impossible is nothing, knowing that we are in a male dominated sector, we have to distinguish ourselves and put in the work, excellence in all that we do. At all times, let us think big, because our ideas are possible.