Pierre-Michel Menger joined the CNRS in 1981 and pursued his career there, first as a research fellow and later as a research director. In 1999, he was awarded the CNRS Silver Medal. Alongside his research activities, he has taught at EHESS as Director of Studies since 1995. At EHESS, he directed the Centre for the Sociology of Work and the Arts from 1992 to 2005. He also taught at the Paris Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po). Since 2013, Pierre-Michel Menger has been Professor at the Collège de France, where he holds the Sociology of Creative Work Chair.

Pierre-Michel Menger's work has been particularly influential in the sociology of artistic labour, creative work, and cultural production. His research examines the organisation of artistic careers, labour-market uncertainty, flexibility, and the broader transformations of work under contemporary capitalism. Among his most influential publications are Portrait de l'artiste en travailleur: Métamorphoses du capitalisme (2003), which analyses the artist as a model for emerging labour conditions under contemporary capitalism; Profession artiste: Extension du domaine de la création (2005); Les intermittents du spectacle: Sociologie d'une exception (2005), later revised and expanded as Les intermittents du spectacle: Sociologie du travail flexible (2011); and Le travail créateur: S'accomplir dans l'incertain (2009), a major synthesis of his work on artistic labour, uncertainty, and achievement in creative professions. This latter work was subsequently adapted and published in English as The Economics of Creativity: Art and Achievement Under Uncertainty (2014), introducing his key arguments to a broader international readership.

Alan Salzenstein is Professor at DePaul University in Chicago where he directs the MFA/Arts Leadership and Performing Arts Management programs. Salzenstein is an international correspondent advisor to the board of ENCATC and past president of AAAE (Association of Arts Administration Educators). He has held various Executive Director positions for a wide array of arts organizations over the past thirty-five years, with a long history of theatrical producing, devising and presenting many special events, membership on various arts boards, and as an arts consultant. He is a frequent invited speaker on topics related to arts management and legal issues in the arts, having presented across North America, Europe and Asia. Salzenstein is also an attorney, focusing on issues related to the performing arts industry.

Annick Schramme is Full Professor at the University of Antwerp, where she directs the master’s program in Cultural Management and the Competence Center Management, Culture & Policy in the Faculty of Applied Economics. She is also Academic Director of the Competence Center Creative Industries at the Antwerp Management School. Since 2018, she has led the Leadership in Culture program, a joint initiative between the Antwerp Management School and Utrecht University. In 2024, she was appointed UNESCO Chair in Cultural Entrepreneurship and Policy.
Her research and publications address arts and cultural policy in Flanders, cultural governance, international cultural policy, leadership, cultural entrepreneurship, and public–private partnerships in the heritage sector. She has played an active role in advising cultural policy, serving as expert to the Vice-Mayor for Culture and Tourism of Antwerp (2004–2013), chairing the Strategic Advisory Council on Culture, Youth, Sports and Media (SARC) of the Flemish Government since 2020, and coordinating the working group that developed the Culture Good Governance Code in Flanders.

Avril Joffe is the head of the Cultural Policy and Management Department at the Wits School of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg and coordinates the Post Graduate programme.  She is an economic sociologist with experience in the field of cultural policy, culture and development and the cultural economy specializing in mapping and measurement, programme design, implementation, stakeholder relations and evaluation. She recently completed her Diploma in Education in the field of Higher Education at Wits University. Avril is an active member of UNESCO’s Panel of Experts for Cultural Policy and Governance (2011-2022). Avril has completed numerous consultancy and evaluation projects in the field of culture and development on the continent. Avril is also a member of the International Advisory Council for NESTA’s Policy and Evidence Council for the Cultural and Creative Industries. As a member of the South African Ministerial Review Panel, Avril helped draft the revised cultural policy for South Africa adopted in February 2020.  She is on the board of the National Arts Council and chairs its Audit and Risk Committee and a member of Im4theArts, a new arts and culture organization in South Africa. 

• LinkedIn
• Twitter

Barbara is from Vienna/Austria and is a Senior Expert at the European Commission's Directorate-General for Education and Culture (DG EAC)’s Cultural Policy Unit. Her field of work is cultural policy making, in particular the crossroads of cultural and creative sectors/ industries/spaces, as well as innovation and finance. She also focusses on artists’ and creative professionals’ working conditions and worked with the OMC (Open Method of Coordination) EU Member States’ expert group, with EU social partners and stakeholders, and now on the EU Artists’ Charter of the Culture Compass for Europe.

Carla Figueira, Strategic Policy Advisor at ENCATC, is the Director of the MA in Cultural Policy, Relations and Diplomacy and of the MA in Tourism and Cultural Policy at the Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship, Goldsmiths, University of London. She is an international relations graduate of the Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (Portugal), and she moved to London after a career in arts management. In the UK, she gained an MA in Arts Management and a PhD in Cultural Policy and Management. Her interests and expertise range from mapping of cultural and creative sectors and industries, language policies, the theory and practice of cultural diplomacy and international cultural relations in general, to place branding, national identity and cultural tourism. Carla is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) and of the Higher Education Academy (HEA).

Claudio Prandoni is a European project expert and experienced Project Manager with a strong background in ICT research and innovation, focusing on tourism and cultural heritage. He holds a degree in Mathematics from the University of Padua and a Master’s in Applied Mathematics from the University of Milano-Bicocca. Claudio currently serves as Project Manager at ARIADNE Research Infrastructure AISBL, managing Horizon Europe-funded initiatives such as ATRIUM, ECHOES and ARTEMIS. As Managing Director of AEDEKA, he oversees the European Projects Division, drives technological development, and coordinates educational and training activities aimed at enhancing cultural heritage, including initiatives for the valorisation of UNESCO sites. Over his career, Claudio has contributed to numerous high-profile European projects, including Skills4EOSC, 4CH, ARIADNEPlus, PREFORMA, inDICEs, EAGLE, RICHES, and Linked Heritage.

Daniel Green is a Distinguished Professor and the Director of the Master of Entertainment Industry Management Program at Carnegie Mellon University. Based in Los Angeles, CA, Daniel has extensive experience in TV production, having worked on shows like ER, The Sopranos, The West Wing, and directed the pilot Munhall starring George Wendt. As a theatre director, his work has been produced in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Dan has also served as a Casting Director for projects including The Kennedy Mystique: Creating Camelot for National Geographic Channel and Nixon in China, 72 for CCTV, Beijing. He has a MFA in Directing and his Ph.D. focused on first-generation student experiences at private universities in China. 
He was the President of the Association of Arts Administration Educators and is currently an International Correspondent Board Advisor for ENCATC as well as being a member of the jury for the ENCATC Research Award. Daniel Green is also a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. In addition, he sits on the Les Paul Audio Educators Advisory Council whose mission is to promote the legacy of Les Paul as an inventor and innovator of audio technology.

Full Professor, Cultural Economist, Head of Creative Economy Research Center at the SWPS University. Creator of MAP (manager, agent, producer) Master degree. Holder of a postdoctoral degree (habilitation) in management in the humanities, founder of the Pro Cultura Foundation. Her last publication is co-authored Artists Labour Market, Cultural Policy and Creative Economy: A Triangular Model in Poland Routledge Focus on Economics and Finance, Taylor & Francis Ltd, London 2024. She has been the principal investigator of numerous national and international research programmes on the cultural policies, CCS entrepreneurship and value chains.  Recently her interests focus on the artists' labour market in the AI reality. Her research project “Counted 2024! Artists, performers and creators in Poland” became a base for the legislation changes in Poland and was a first after World War II successful attempt to estimate the size of artistic milieu. 

Douglas DeNatale earned his PhD in Folklore and Folklife from the University of Pennsylvania in 1985. Prior to joining the Metropolitan College faculty, he was the president of Community Logic, Inc., an arts consulting firm specializing in research and documentation. He previously served as director of research for the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), where he played an instrumental role in forecasting the emerging creative economy and in developing the web-based research database CultureCount.

Formerly, he was director of the Lowell Folklife Project at the Library of Congress and director of the oral history and folklife program and collections at the University of South Carolina’s McKissick Museum. Trained as an ethnographer, Doug has overseen collaborative arts research projects for the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Library of Congress. He conducted oral histories for the Lowell National Historic Park, the Southern Oral History Program, and the J. Alden Weir National Historic Site, and curated exhibitions for the McKissick Museum and the Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.

As an early adopter of technology, Douglas DeNatale has helped many New England cultural institutions establish their first websites. He has also been involved with technology projects for Heritage Preservation, the New England Museum Association, and the Boston Foundation. His research on the creative economy is widely cited, with publications that include Documenting the Arts (NEFA) and Passion & Purpose: Raising the Fiscal Fitness Bar for Massachusetts Nonprofits (Boston Foundation, co-author).

Elena Borin holds a Ph.D. in Economics and Doctor Europeus and her PhD thesis on "Public-Private partnerships in the cultural sector" won the 3rd ENCATC Research Award on Cultural Policy and Cultural Management and the IUSS Best Thesis award. She is member of Scientific Committees of several academic programs and international committees working on the themes of sustainability and the cultural and creative sector, among which the university network “Routes Towards Sustainability” and the international summer school "After the Damages”. Her most recent articles address topics related to partnership, funding and sustainability published by the Journal of Cultural Management and Policy, Journal of Intellectual Capital, Urban Design and in the Springer FGF Studies in Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Her research interests include international cultural governance, multi-stakeholder partnerships, funding and financing for the cultural and creative sector and CCIs in the sustainability paradigm.

Dr. Ellen Loots is an Associate Professor of Cultural Economics and Entrepreneurship at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Her work focuses on the intersection of entrepreneurship and creativity, with a strong commitment to sustainability and community. Through research, education, and international collaborations, Dr. Loots explores innovative approaches to entrepreneurship, finance, business model innovation, and cross-sector partnerships in the cultural and creative sectors. Current projects span topics including new funding models, self-curating in artistic careers, Art-Science-Technology collaborations, circular entrepreneurship in fashion and textiles and participatory business models in museums and cultural heritage. The overarching aim is to empower individuals and organisations to create meaningful social, cultural, and environmental impact.

Fabrizio Montanari is Full Professor of Organization Studies at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, where he serves as Scientific Coordinator of OPERA, a research unit specializing in the study of creativity and innovation. He is also Adjunct Professor at Bologna Business School and Bocconi University. He has been a Visiting Professor at Copenhagen Business School, Johannes Kepler University Linz, the University of Leicester, and WU Vienna. His research focuses on creative industry, innovation, and creative ecosystems, with particular attention to how network structures and contextual environments—organizational, urban, and territorial—shape the emergence and development of creative and innovative processes. In addition to his academic activities, he has held prominent institutional roles, including Chairman of Fondazione Nazionale della Danza Aterballetto. His research has been published in leading international journals, including Journal of Economic Geography, Journal of Management Studies,  Organization Science, Organization Studies, and Urban Studies.

Franco Niccolucci is a former professor of the University of Florence and the founding director of the STARC Research Center of the Cyprus Institute at Nicosia, Cyprus. He is currently the President of the ARIADNE Research Infrstructure AISBL and the director of the VAST-LAB Laboratory at Fondazione PIN. He has been the coordinator of several EU projects concrning IT applications to archaeology and top cultural heritage

His research interests concern the digitalisation of Cultural Heritage and the use of advanced information techniques to organize, manage and share the related data. He is the author of more than 100 scientific publications, many of which have opened new research avenues and are highly cited by scholars.

Since 2004, GiannaLia Cogliandro Beyens is the Secretary General of the European network on cultural management and policy, ENCATC. She is also the administrator of the Thomassen mobility programme and serves on several boards. GiannaLia is an expert in EU affairs and international relations, with more than 30 years’ experience in advocacy, cultural policy, and strategic management, in the context of international cultural NGO. Since 1998, GiannaLia has also successfully designed, drafted, and managed a large number of EU cross-sectorial projects in the field of culture, education, and research.

Former Policy Officer of the Cultural Forum of EUROCITIES, GiannaLia was also Secretary General of the Association of the European Cities of Culture , AECC. Journalist since 1993, she started her career as Press & PR Officer for the N.A.T.O organisation in Rome. For the European Commission, she wrote 10 Reports on social European policy and a major study on the European Cities of Culture of the year 2000. Educated at the University “La Sapienza” in Rome, GiannaLia holds a Degree in Political Sciences - International Relations and two additional masters in European & International Career Studies, and a in European Constitution. Since 1993, GiannaLia is member of the Association of the Former trainees of the European Union.

Gianriccardo Pera is a digital strategist, educator, and researcher focused on online learning environments, audience engagement, and participatory cultural innovation. His work explores how digital technologies can strengthen artistic communities, support knowledge-sharing, and create sustainable cultural ecosystems centred on collaboration and co-creation.

Irma de Jong is Founder and Managing Director of Cicerone Music & Art and CEO of iClassical Academy. For more than 30 years she has worked internationally in artist management, cultural entrepreneurship, digital learning, and the development of innovative models for music education and cultural participation.

Jerry C Y Liu is the Dean of College of Humanities, and Professor of Graduate School of Arts Management and Cultural Policy at the National Taiwan University of Arts. He is the Editor in Chief of the international journal of Culture: Policy, Management, and Entrepreneurship. Liu was the first President of Taiwan Association of Cultural Policy Studies, and now the Executive Director of TACPS. Liu is invited as the Advisory Board member of the ENCATC Book Series 2022-2024, ENCATC International Correspondence Board Member 2015-2022, and jury member of the Cultural Policy and Management Research Award. He is also on the Advisory Board of ANCER since 2014. He was invited as the Guest Professor of Burgundy School of Business in 2019. Liu is the International Scientific Committee member of Cultural Management: Science and Education. He was the consulting member of Culture Fundamental Act since 2011-2019, and the Global Outreach Office of Ministry of Culture in Taiwan in 2013-2015. Liu is the author and editor of Taiwan’s International Cultural Relations: Culture as a Method (2022, in Chinese), and ReOrient: An East Asian Approach on Cultural Policy and Cultural Governance (2018, in Chinese). He is the project organizer of “2023-2024 Objective Analysis Framework of Cultural Value and Cultural Impact for Cultural and Creative Parks” and “2017 Project of Cultural Congress and Cultural White Paper” for the Ministry of Culture in Taiwan. Liu has also hosted the 2022 TAICCA project of “Evaluation on the Cultural and Social Impact of Cultural Content Industries”; and 2021-2024 “Co-Vibrate Project”, “Vine Project”, and “Being Project” of the Huashan 1914 Creative Park. His current research focuses on cultural sustainability, cultural SDGs and ESG, the eco-system of creative and cultural economy. 

Before joining academia, Leticia Labaronne studied Performing Arts in the United States, and then went on to work as a professional ballet dancer in Europe for over ten years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the United Kingdom and a Master of Science in Public and Nonprofit Management from Switzerland. 

Since 2009 she has been working with the Center of Arts Management at the ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences. Labaronne directs the executive Master in Arts Management at ZHAW. Since 2019 she serves as a Head of the Center of Arts Management at the ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences.

Her focus with respect to consulting and research is cultural policy, fundraising as well as evaluation in the nonprofit and arts sector. Her current doctoral research relates to evaluation practices in the Performing Arts. The research focus of her doctorate was motivated by her late artistic career. Labaronne is committed to applying her working knowledge of the field to explore new research paradigms that can better capture the complexity of artistic activities, and shed more light on the creative processes in the Performing Arts.

I hold a Master of Arts in Law from University of Milano Bicocca and an international Master’s degree in Cultural Property Protection in Crisis Response from the University of Turin. I am currently pursuing a fully funded PhD at Universitas Mercatorum where my research focuses on the digital transition as a tool for crisis prevention in cultural networks, examining how institutions in the cultural sector can leverage digital change not merely as an operational upgrade, but as a form of resilience-building against structural, financial and societal disruptions. I am research placement at ENCATC - European Network on Cultural Management and Policy

Cipriano holds a PhD (Doctor Europaeus) in Markets, Firms and Consumers from Roma Tre University at the Department of Business Study. Her research focuses on participatory governance models as value creation mechanisms in urban ecosystems. She previously earned a Master’s degree in Cultural Heritage Management cum Laude (LM-76) from the University of Naples Federico II. During her doctoral studies, she conducted a research period as a visiting researcher at ESCP Business School in Paris, Department of Entrepreneurship.

Her work integrates qualitative and interdisciplinary approaches to analyze how cultural and social organizations engage stakeholders, foster inclusive development, and contribute to urban regeneration. She has presented her research findings at international conferences, including EURAM, IFKAD, ENCATC and RENT. She is a member of the Editorial Office of Piccola Impresa/Small Business.

Art curator, researcher, writer and university lecturer. PhD in Social Anthropology (Universidad Nacional de Colombia; award-winning thesis), with training in Fine Arts (Universidad de los Andes) and an MA in Curatorial Studies (Bard College, US). Currently a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow (Horizon Europe) at the University of Granada, Spain. My work lies at the intersection of academic research, curatorial practice, and collaborative research-creation with artists and local communities across Latin America, including Mesoamerican, Andean, Amazonian, Orinoquian, Pacific, and urban contexts. I connect artistic and curatorial practices with community museums, memory, peacebuilding, environmental care, and local cultural economies, contributing to debates in cultural policy and cultural management. I have curated more than twenty exhibitions in Colombia and the United States, published widely, received several national and international awards and grants, and served as an evaluator and jury member for numerous arts, culture, heritage, and research programmes.

Maria de Fátima Lambert, coordinating professor at School of Education/Polytechnic of Porto; Director of Cultural Heritage Management/Master Heritage, Arts and Cultural Tourism. Senior Researcher INED-FCT; author; independent Curator. Emília Ferreira, PHD and senior researcher IHA, UNL; former director of National Contemporary Art Museum (Lisbon) and "Casa da Cerca", Almada/Lisbon, writer an curator. Cristina Susigan, PHD, professor at Santa Marcelina University, São Paulo, Brasil; senior researcher and author. The three members develop research in Feminist Studies, Gender Studies and Decolonial Studies. Ana Paula Machado, Art Historian, PHD and senior researcher CITCEM/FLUP; Conservator at National Museum Soares dos Reis, Porto; author and curator. Maria João Vasconcelos, Art Historian, former director of National Museum Soares dos Reis, Porto; author and independent researcher.

With a background in European policies and international relations at the University of Bologna and many years of work experience at the intersection between humanities research and cultural policies, Mariachiara Esposito works as Seconded National Expert at the European Commission, DG EAC, within the Cultural Policy Unit, on cultural heritage innovation and sustainable development. Her expertise range from science advice to policy making in the field of culture, cultural heritage and research to European projects with a regional dimension on cultural governance, intercultural dialogue and remembrance policies, culture led development, innovation and territorial regeneration.

Previously she has worked for the regional government of Tuscany at European level, as well as for the international science policy Association Science Europe and for the European Economic and Social Committee.

In her role at DG EAC she leads the Open Method of Coordination Group of Member States’ Experts on the topic of the Cultural Dimension of Sustainable Development as well the work on the enhancement of culture and cultural heritage in R&I policies in connection with Horizon Europe’s new Cluster “Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society”. 

Marinella Dell’Eva is a collaborative pianist from of Trentino origins, who graduated with highest honours from the Conservatorio Bonporti in Trento and with distinction from the Conservatorio Pollini in Padua. In 2015 she moved to Berlin, Germany, where she specialised in accompanying opera singers at the Universität der Künste. She collaborated at the Leipzig Opera House for Rusalka, L'elisir d'amore (conducted by Giedrė Šlekytė, directed by Rolando Villazon) and Carmen, under the guidance of Studienleiter M° Ugo D'Orazio. In Berlin she worked as a collaborative pianist, harpsichordist and artistic director for several projects of the collective glanz&krawall (Catch3000, La Boheme Supergroup). She taught piano and Musikalische Früherziehung in various Berlin schools. In autumn 2022, following an opera workshop she led at the Istituto Comprensivo Alta e Bassa Val di Sole, she presented the opera "Lo scoiattolo in gamba" by Nino Rota at the Teatro Comunale di Dimaro (TN), serving as artistic and stage director. She has accompanied important Masterclasses in opera singing, including the masterclass of mezzo-soprano Daniela Barcellona at the Teatro Verdi in Trieste and that of soprano Janet Perry at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. She worked as a collaborative pianist at the Conservatorio di Vicenza, in the class of soprano Lucia Mazzaria. In October 2024 she won the First Prize at the Chamber Vocal Music Competition E. Respighi in Verona and the Premio FIDAPA - il talento delle donne - in duo with soprano Viola Nelfi. She actively collaborates as a concert pianist with internationally renowned singers (Matteo Macchioni, Alvaro Zambrano, Alessia Panza, Liu Huigang and others). Together with Corrado Dell'Eva she founded the Liricastello Festival, with the aim of bringing opera to the castles of Trentino - Dolomites, IT. Since December 2024 she is a PhD candidate at the Conservatorio D'Annunzio in Pescara. She worked as stage master for "The Magic Flute" at the Teatro Comunale di Ferrara and the Teatro Municipale di Piacenza, and as stage director for "The Wall and Pink Floyd Greatest Hits", a production of the Comunale di Ferrara, Teatro Valli di Reggio Emilia and Ravenna Festival. In June 2025, in duo with actor Giuseppe Nitti, she performed at the event "Al Chiaro di luna" at Palazzo Zuckermann in Padua. Also in June 2025, as part of her doctoral research, she conceived Opera Children's LAB, an opera workshop for children at the Teatro Comunale Abbado di Ferrara. In September 2025 she took part as a speaker at the ENCATC Congress in Barcelona, presenting this experience to an international audience. In March 2026 she continued the educational project with another opera, La Traviata by G. Verdi.

Matina is an Associated Researcher at the SIC.Lab Méditerranée of the University Côte d’Azur in France. She holds a PhD in Leisure, Communication and Culture from the University of Deusto. Her tesis focused on the evaluation of international cultural cooperation projects, with a focus on the EuroArab region. Her expertise lies on creative spaces, cultural and creative industries, cultural relations and cultural policies. She is currently investigating collective responses from creative professionals in regard to the challenges posed by AI. In the past Matina has worked for festivals, theater productions and large-scale events such as the Olympic Games Athens 2004, the European Capital of Culture Patras 2006 and the International Expo Zaragoza 2008. She has also worked for public institutions such as the European Parliament, the Greek Ministry of Education and the Municipality of Athens.

Rosada Zangri is a choreographer, dancer, and pedagogue trained at the National Dance Academy of Rome and the Centre National de la Danse (CND) in Paris. She joined Emilio Calcagno’s company in 2015, performing internationally in works such as Catania Catania, L’Isola, and Pinocchio. Since 2012, she has collaborated with institutions including Scenario Pubblico, developing workshops and transmission practices. In 2013, she received the Young Choreographers Award in Sicily for Sospiri. She later worked as assistant choreographer with Calcagno in Tunis and performed with Cie MF. Her first choreographic work, Cori (2019), marked the beginning of her independent artistic path. Based in Paris, she collaborates with conservatories while advancing pedagogical research on dance as a technical and expressive language. She is the Educational Coordinator, Program Manager, and Creative Assistant of Yallah Danse!, and recipient of the FEDORA Education Prize 2025. In 2025, she founded Cie RoZa, exploring memory, Mediterranean identities, and intercultural dialogue.

Sade Kahra is a Finland-based artist and independent researcher working at the intersection of visual art, cultural policy, and institutional analysis. She holds a Master of Social Sciences (Åbo Akademi, 2026) in Public Sector Management and a Master of Arts in Photography (Aalto University, 2000). Her policy research focuses on governance, dimensioning, and systemic tensions within artistic and educational systems, particularly in fields shaped by uncertainty. Alongside her research, she has extensive experience in the cultural sector, including founding and leading art organisations, project management in higher education, and in her current role as Chair of Kuvasto (the Finnish Visual Artists’ Copyright Society).

Thibaut de Martimprey is a committed advocate for accessibility, social innovation and inclusive culture in Europe.

He leads the accessibility and inclusion strategy for Bourges 2028 – European Capital of Culture.

As founder and Director of the Campus Louis Braille, he brings together artists, cultural institutions, companies, researchers and people with lived experience of disability.

His work is driven by a strong conviction: culture must become a truly open, sustainable and universally accessible space.

Holding a Doctor of Arts degree in Art and Design and an M.Sc. in Economics, Toni-Matti has authored over 100 academic publications spanning design, brand management, and popular music. With a rich background as an Academy Research Fellow and Research Director at Aalto University, he has managed diverse research projects across consumer products, design, technology, and cultural domains. Toni-Matti boasts a strong international presence, having served as a visiting professor, speaker, and researcher in the Nordic countries, the Baltics, Europe, the United States, Japan, and South Korea for almost two decades.

She is a Cultural Manager from Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero and a National Public Translator from Universidad de Buenos Aires, with postgraduate studies in cultural industries, heritage and sustainable tourism, and cultural management and policies. Since 2022, she has served as Director of the Cultural Management programs at Universidad Nacional de Avellaneda, where she has also taught Financing of Cultural Projects and International Cooperation Projects since 2012. As a researcher, professor, author, and editor, she has contributed extensively to publications and books on cultural management across Latin America. She has participated in and organized numerous international congresses and forums, including the Latin American Cultural Management Congresses. She has also advised Argentina’s Ministry of Culture and local governments, while coordinating independent cultural, artistic, and community-based initiatives.

Professor Venka Purushothaman is an internationally recognised academic, arts and cultural leader and award-winning writer with a distinguished career in arts higher education and the cultural and creative industries.

As President, Prof Venka leads transformative academic and organisational developments, strengthening LASALLE’s global profile and advancing its role in the global knowledge economy.

Before entering academia, Prof Venka served in pivotal and pioneering roles at key cultural institutions, including The Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, National Arts Council Singapore and the Victorian Arts Centre in Melbourne, building institutional strategies and capacities. He continues to serve in an advisory capacity with various national and international organisations today.

Internationally recognised for forging strategic and enduring international partnerships, expanding cultural and creative leadership and artists' ecosystems, Prof Venka, who was previously LASALLE’s Provost, founded the Asia-Pacific Network for Culture, Education, and Research (ANCER) to build cultural leadership and research capacities in Asia. He co-founded the Global Design Initiative—a cross-continental consortium advancing intercultural design education—and chaired the Board of Shared Campus, a collaborative network of leading arts institutions shaping new paradigms in global arts education.

Prof Venka’s thought leadership is globally recognised. He is affiliated with the International Cultural Relations Research Alliance (IFA, Germany) and is regularly invited to deliver keynote addresses and serve in advisory capacities worldwide. In recognition of his significant impact, he was conferred the Royal Order of Sahametri (Grand Knight Cross) by His Majesty the King of Cambodia in 2024 for his contributions to post-conflict Cambodia’s cultural development. In 2017, he was named University Fellow by Musashino Art University (Japan) for advancing transnational higher arts education. He serves on international boards in the arts and education, and holds several prestigious appointments: Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (UK, since 2010), McNally Fellow of the Ireland Funds Singapore (since 2015), and member of the Association Internationale des Critiques d'Art (France, since 2006).

A prolific writer and cultural historian, Prof Venka has authored influential works on Southeast Asian arts and cultural leadership, including The Art of Sukumar Bose: Reflections on South and Southeast Asia (ICAS Best Art Book Accolade, 2015) and Making Visible the Invisible: Three Decades of the Singapore Arts Festival (2007). He contributes to the global arts discourse through editorial roles in leading journals, including Afterall (Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London), Culture: Policy, Management, Entrepreneurship (National Taiwan University of the Arts), and ISSUE (LASALLE College of the Arts, University of the Arts Singapore).

Prof Venka holds a PhD in Cultural Policy and Asian Cultural Studies from the University of Melbourne. He earned both his MA with a focus on Shakespeare and Postcolonial Studies and BA (Hons) in English Literature and Communication Studies from York University, Toronto.

Yiannis Spanos is Professor of Business Strategy at the Department of Theater Studies of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (May 2024--). His current research interests focus on the study of the role of management and strategy in theatre organizations and, more broadly, in the cultural industries. His book entitled Management and Strategy in the Arts and Culture (in Greek) was published in 2025 by Papazisi Publications. The English edition of his book, titled “Management and Strategy in the Arts” is scheduled to be published in early 2027 by Routledge.

In addition, he teaches Business and Organizational Management at the Hellenic Open University (HOU). He has authored a book entitled "Introduction to Innovation," which has been published and is used by the HOU, as well as teaching notes for a course titled Strategy & Innovation for the Athens University of Economics and Business.

Before moving to the University of Athens, he served (2001–2024) as a professor of Business Strategy at the Department of Management Science and Technology of the Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB) – from February 2021 as a full professor. At AUEB, he taught Strategy & Innovation, Management, and Organizational Theory at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

His research interests during his tenure at AUEB focused on innovation, strategy and competitiveness, and organizational change. He has published articles in leading international academic journals such as the Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Management, Research Policy, Technovation, and R&D Management, among others. His published research work has received (to date) more than 1,145 citations in ISI Web of Knowledge, 1,695 in Scopus, and 4,625 in Google Scholar. He is a reviewer for international scientific journals such as Research Policy, Organization Studies (where he served as a member of the Editorial Board from 2006 to 2008), Journal of Management Studies, Technovation, and others.

In parallel to his teaching and research activities, Yiannis Spanos has participated in a large number of projects directly related to his research interests, many of which have been funded by the EU. He has experience in large-scale research projects involving questionnaire design and data analysis using advanced statistical and econometric models.

Finally, during the 1995-2010 period, he served as an external consultant and actively participated in the activities of the Hellenic Innovation Relay Center, which as a member of the network of corresponding European Centers, aims to support innovation and technology transfer in European SMEs.