Jury & Selection Committee

Ira Vihreälehto is a Finnish historian, cultural heritage expert and educator specialising in heritage education, participation and innovative approaches to connecting communities with their shared past. As Executive Director of the Association for Cultural Heritage Education in Finland, she leads initiatives that place cultural heritage at the heart of learning, inclusion and civic engagement.

During her leadership, Ira has directed and contributed to more than 40 national and international projects, including Erasmus+ and Creative Europe initiatives, focusing on cultural heritage education, participatory practices and new pedagogical approaches. Over more than a decade, she has developed educational tools and learning resources that support heritage engagement, including the internationally recognised Spinner of Living Heritage, which has been translated into 21 languages and adopted in educational contexts across Europe and beyond.

She holds a Master’s degree in History from the University of Jyväskylä, with studies also undertaken at the University of Tennessee, and has further qualifications in special education, psychology teaching, school leadership and ADHD counselling. She has also completed the Bridge 47 / European Commission Transformative Learning Journey training in Berlin (2019–2020), strengthening her expertise in transformative education and social impact.

Ira serves on the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture’s expert group on intangible cultural heritage and on the European Heritage Label expert group.

With more than 20 years of experience as a teacher, teacher trainer and school principal, Ira combines educational practice, research and public engagement. As an author and media contributor, she explores difficult histories, identity and marginalised experiences, including through nonfiction works that have inspired exhibitions at The Memory Museum.

Mikaël Mohamed is a cultural policy expert and international relations leader specialising in cultural cooperation, heritage, public diplomacy and institutional development. As Director of International Relations at the Mucem – the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations in Marseille, France, he works to strengthen cultural exchange, international partnerships and dialogue across Europe and the Mediterranean.

He first held this position from 2013 to 2023 and resumed the role in 2025, following his appointment as Cultural Advisor to the President of the Région Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (2023–2024). Earlier in his career, Mikaël spent a decade with the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, serving as Director of the Institut français de Tétouan in Morocco (2008–2012) and as Cultural Attaché at the French Embassy in Riga, Latvia (2004–2007).

With more than 25 years of experience, he has developed and led strategic initiatives that connect cultural institutions, communities and international networks. His work spans cultural policy, European and international cooperation, heritage, public diplomacy and regional development, with a focus on strengthening cultural ecosystems and fostering sustainable partnerships between territories.

Beyond his institutional roles, Mikaël is actively engaged in non-profit organisations promoting culture as a driver of social inclusion, civic participation and territorial development. Since October 2025, he has served as an elected Board Member of ICOM France, contributing to international dialogue on museums and heritage.

Zana Bosnic is an architect, project manager and innovation professional specialising in sustainable development, adaptive reuse, cultural heritage and interdisciplinary collaboration. Originally from Croatia and based in Spain, she brings more than 18 years of international experience across architecture, education, sustainability and cultural heritage, shaped by her work and studies across several European countries.

She holds a degree in Architecture from Politecnico di Milano and a Master’s in Circular Economy and Sustainable Development. Throughout her career, Zana has led multidisciplinary projects in architecture and urban development, including the adaptive reuse of industrial buildings and sites, while also coordinating international educational programmes in architecture, urbanism and creative disciplines.

In recent years, she has focused on innovation-driven approaches to sustainability and cultural heritage, managing projects related to biomaterials, circular economy and technology transfer. Her work has involved building partnerships between research institutions, industry, public authorities and creative sectors, contributing to European and international initiatives that connect knowledge, innovation and practice.

Zana’s work is guided by a commitment to cultural heritage as a foundation for resilient and sustainable communities.

Marco Coico is an archaeologist, art historian and cultural innovator based in Sicily, Italy, specialising in heritage interpretation, community engagement and the sustainable development of cultural ecosystems. Combining academic research, project management and cultural entrepreneurship, he works to connect local heritage with international cooperation and new models of participation.

He holds two Master’s degrees with honours from the University of Palermo – in Archaeology, with a focus on Prehistoric Art and Landscape, and in Art History, specialising in Cultural and Creative Industries – as well as a Postgraduate Advanced Master in Economics and Management of Cultural and UNESCO Heritage and a Postgraduate Course in Anthropology of Museums and Arts from the University of Milano-Bicocca. He is a registered Archaeologist and Art Historian with the Italian Ministry of Culture and a certified EU Project Manager.

Marco works on international projects at Fondazione Le Vie dei Tesori, one of southern Italy’s largest grassroots cultural organisations, where he manages Erasmus+, Interreg and NextGenerationEU programmes. As Co-Curator of the Borghi dei Tesori Festival, he contributes to the revitalisation of 60 Sicilian villages facing demographic decline by promoting cultural participation, local identity and sustainable tourism. As Secretary-General of Italea Sicilia, he works within a national roots tourism strategy connecting millions of people of Sicilian heritage worldwide under the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He is a founding member of Fondazione Marea, which counteracts the Sicilian brain-drain, and a member of Youth.Heritage.Europe, a pan-european network of young cultural heritage professionals.

Marco serves on the Selection Committee as a representative of young heritage professionals.

Oskar Habjanič earned his degree in history and philosophy from the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), in 2003. He went on to complete a master’s degree in metaphysics at the same university in 2010.

He works as curator at the Maribor Regional Museum. He co-founded and leads several museum programs, including Date with Heritage, Neighbours under the World’s Oldest Vine, and Museoeurope. He has curated multiple international exhibitions and collaborated with esteemed institutions such as the Bavarian National Museum (Munich, Germany), Universalmuseum Joanneum (Graz, Austria), the Pontifical Swiss Guard (Vatican), Alimentarium Food Museum (Vevey, Switzerland), the Peasant Museum (Bucharest, Romania), the Franz Liszt Museum and Research Centre (Budapest, Hungary), Burgenland Regional Museum (Eisenstadt, Austria), Museum of the Benedictine Monastery in St. Paul in Lavanthal (Austria) among others.

He is the co-author of the concept for the Museum of the Oldest Vine in the World. His work focuses on integrating inclusive heritage into museum programming, with a special emphasis on connecting heritage with small enterprises and gastronomy. He is the author of more than 150 scientific and professional articles in the field of cultural history, and co-organised six international symposia.
In 2016, he received a residency scholarship from the Universalmuseum in Graz (Austria), and in 2025, the Inclusive European Heritage Residency at Hardwick Hall was organised by Europa Nostra and the National Trust.

Before joining the museum, he worked with underprivileged youth and served as a freelance journalist, reporting from Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sudan, Turkey and Xinjiang (China).

Simon O’Connor is a cultural leader, curator and composer specialising in innovative museum practice, public engagement and the creation of interdisciplinary cultural experiences. He was the founding director of the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI), a pioneering literary art space whose distinctive curatorial approach has transformed the relationship between literature, heritage and diverse audiences.

Under Simon’s leadership, MoLI received widespread international recognition, including the Business to Arts Best Philanthropic Support of the Arts Award (2021), the IDEA Exhibition Design Gold Award (2021), a shortlist nomination for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award (2022), and a longlisting for the European Museum of the Year Awards (2022). In 2023, MoLI received the European Heritage Awards Grand Prix for its contribution to citizen engagement and awareness-raising, recognising its innovative approach to cultural participation.

Previously, Simon was the founding curator of the Little Museum of Dublin, an institution he developed from its creation in 2011 into an award-winning museum recognised as a European Heritage Awards/Europa Nostra Awards winner in 2016. Across both institutions, he has championed museums as inclusive spaces for storytelling, community connection and shared cultural memory.

Alongside his museum work, Simon is a composer with a background in contemporary music. A founding member of the influential Irish rock group The Jimmy Cake, he studied composition with internationally renowned composers Donnacha Dennehy and Kevin Volans, and his work has been released through the Ergodos label. His current creative projects explore connections between sound, sensory experience and cultural expression, including collaborations on queer club culture with visual artist Padraig Spillane and research into the relationship between scent and musical composition.

Dr Felicia Sternfeld is a museum leader, cultural heritage expert and advocate for the social role of museums in contemporary society. As Director of the Europäisches Hansemuseum in Lübeck, Germany, one of Northern Europe’s leading institutions dedicated to the history and continuing relevance of the Hanseatic world, she has guided the museum through a period of strategic growth, internationalisation and organisational development since 2015.

She serves as a Member of the Board of ICOM Europe and as a Member of the German Commission for UNESCO. Until December 2025, she served as President of ICOM Germany, representing more than 8,000 museum professionals across the country. Throughout her career, Felicia has contributed to numerous European and international cultural networks, advisory bodies and juries, strengthening cooperation and knowledge exchange across the museum sector.

Her expertise spans museum leadership, cultural heritage, education, audience engagement, sustainability, organisational development and cultural policy. Through her work at the Europäisches Hansemuseum, she has developed the institution as a platform for dialogue, participation and European exchange, connecting historical knowledge with contemporary social questions.

Ole Rikard Høisæther is a seasoned leader in Norway’s arts, heritage, and publishing sectors, known for his extensive experience, diplomatic skills, and strong network across cultural, public, and media circles. With a PhD in Art History and Classical Archaeology from the University of Oslo, he combines a deep scholarly background with decades of practical leadership in high-impact roles.

Currently, Ole Rikard serves as General Manager of The Foundation Militærhospitalet at Grev Wedels Plass and Secretary General of The Oslo Society (Selskabet for Oslo Byes Vel), where he champions Oslo’s cultural legacy. His career also includes leadership roles at prestigious publishing houses, such as Head of Publishing at Cappelen Damm and CEO of Orfeus Publishing, where he managed large-scale projects including significant works on Norwegian art, cultural heritage, and biographies. His professional focus includes managing mergers, acquisitions, and high-profile publications like the Edvard Munch Catalogue Raisonné.

In 2026, he was appointed Chairman of the Foundation of the Museum for Design and Applied Arts, and he also chairs the Foundation of the Military Academy.

He is Chairman of Europa Nostra Norway and a Member of the Council of Europa Nostra.

He has held governing roles, such as Vice Chair of The Foundation of Edvard Munch’s Studio and Chair of the Norwegian Archaeological Association. Ole Rikard’s literary contributions include authoring over ten books on Norwegian art and history, alongside numerous articles in national publications.
His honours include being named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London and receiving multiple awards from the Norwegian Non-fiction Writers and Translators Association.

Marine Mizandari has co-chaired and chaired the National Trust of Georgia since 2017. With 35 years of professional experience, her career spans scientific research, senior management, and heritage project implementation across Georgia and Europe.

She served as First Deputy Minister of Culture and Monument Protection of Georgia (2012–2014). Marine combines academic expertise with extensive policy experience to strengthen cultural heritage management and public engagement. She has designed and led numerous projects focused on cultural heritage and youth, and has conducted several advocacy campaigns to protect and promote Georgia’s cultural heritage sites and monuments.

Ettie Castenskiold is a Danish cultural heritage advocate and estate manager. She is Chairman of Europa Nostra Denmark and Musica Ficta Renaissance Ensemble. She serves on the boards of Sankt Petri Church and Vemmetofte Estate and works with the administration of 3 forest and agricultural properties.

Her professional involvement spans cultural, educational, and philanthropic organisations, with a focus on heritage preservation and community service. From 2003 to 2022, she was Chairman of the Grethe Foss Foundation for Nurses and has held board positions at Sankt Petri School and Herlufsholm School and Estate.

She holds a master’s degree in economics from Aarhus University and has international experience from an internship at the United Nations in New York and volunteer work in Berlin. She speaks Danish, English, and German.