Hospitality design firm HBA has announced that Rahul Shankhwalker, Partner, will expand his role to Dubai as part of the firm’s continued investment in the Middle East.

The move strengthens HBA’s senior regional leadership team and reinforces the firm’s long-term commitment to the region’s rapidly evolving hospitality, residential and lifestyle sectors.

Rahul will work closely with Andrew Moore, Partner & President, Middle East & KSA, and Vincent Tiberghien, Partner and Vice President of Development, adding senior design leadership and cross-disciplinary expertise as HBA enters its next phase of regional growth.

“Rahul is a valued HBA partner and brings  his creativity  and design excellence to the studio,” says Andrew Moore, Partner & President, Middle East & KSA. “With a strong record in design leadership across Asia-Pacific and internationally, his move to Dubai adds further depth to our regional leadership team at an important moment for the Middle East. I look forward to working closely with Rahul and Vincent as we continue to build on HBA’s long-standing relationships, integrated expertise and commitment to the region.”

With more than 25 years of international experience spanning hospitality, residential and mixed-use design, Rahul joins Dubai from HBA Singapore, where he has led architecture and interior design projects across Asia-Pacific and beyond.

His global perspective, multidisciplinary design experience and long-standing partnership with HBA will further strengthen the Dubai studio’s ability to deliver experience-driven projects that evoke emotion, foster human connection and create long-term value for clients.

Central to Rahul’s expanded role will be supporting HBA’s One HBA approach, a collaborative model that brings together the multidisciplinary expertise already established within HBA Dubai, including Hospitality, Architecture, Residential, Lighting, Art, F&B, Digital, Landscape, Graphic Design and Strategy.

Guided by the principles of integrated design, collective excellence and exceptional delivery, One HBA enables HBA to draw on specialist talent from around the world to deliver seamless, end-to-end design solutions for clients globally.

Rahul’s move to Dubai also reflects HBA’s strategic focus on the continued growth of Studio HBA across the region, expanding the firm’s ability to deliver thoughtful, commercially intelligent design solutions across a broader spectrum of hospitality, residential and lifestyle projects.

Commenting on his appointment, Rahul Shankhwalker says: “For me, design is more than creating buildings or beautiful spaces. It is about shaping environments where people connect and feel encouraged to create lasting memories. The places that stay with us are rarely remembered because they had the best design, but because of how they made us feel. As I expand my role into Dubai, I’m excited to work alongside Andrew, Vincent and the wider regional team to bring together architecture, interiors and multidisciplinary thinking in support of HBA’s continued growth across the Middle East. The opportunity is to shape destinations that are culturally relevant, commercially intelligent and deeply embedded in the experiences and memories people create.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Sayher Heffernan