1) Conservation & Adaptive Reuse

Eugen Vaida is an architect at Asociatia Monumentum, which has been a member organisation of Europa Nostra since 2019. He is a graduate of the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Architecture and Urban Planning “Ion Mincu”, in Bucharest. Among his many projects, Eugen coordinated the Daia Heritage Valorization Plan, developed by the Global Heritage Fund in 2017-2018 and co-founded The Ambulance for Monuments project, which won an Award and the Public Choice Award at the European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards 2020. In his role of director for The King’s Foundation in Romania he had a defining role in the development of the summer school movement in Romania which has its key mission in educating young architects and students. Eugen Vaida published numerous literary works on cultural heritage, including “Saving the Culture of the Other” (Alţîna, 2021) and “The Architectural Guidebook For Contextual Planning in the Saxon Area” of the Order of Romanian Architects (The Rural Working Group). He became an Ashoka Fellow in November 2021, benefitting from a lifetime bursary to continue his work in the field of heritage from the world’s leading social entrepreneurship organisation. For its dedicated efforts in the education of the public of all generations, Asociatia Monumentum, led by Eugen Vaida, was knighted by The Romanian Presidency in 2021

Alessandra Vittorini, an esteemed Italian expert in monument restoration and urban planning, has dedicated her career to preserving cultural heritage. Architect graduate in Monument Restoration with a PhD in Territorial and Urban Planning from “La Sapienza” University in Rome, she has held a prominent position within Italy’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism since 1990. Following the devastating 2009 earthquake in L’Aquila, Vittorini was appointed head of the Superintendency for the region in 2012, where she led an integrated approach to cultural heritage protection and recovery.
Her leadership in restoring the Basilica of Collemaggio stands out; the project not only revived a key historical site but also earned the prestigious European Heritage Award/ Europa Nostra Award in 2020 for its excellence. Throughout her career, Vittorini has overseen numerous landmark restoration projects and contributed to international discussions on cultural preservation. She is also active in academia, frequently lecturing and publishing on architectural restoration and landscape conservation. From 2020 to 2024 she directed the “Fondazione Scuola dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali”, an international institute founded by the Ministry of Culture for training, research and advanced studies, including in the international field, for the care and management of cultural heritage.

Paul Dujardin is a prominent leader in European civil society. He currently serves as Commissioner-General for Heritage at the Brussels Capital Region, spearheading the Art Nouveau Season. Over the past two years, he has been Chief Project Director for the bicentennial commemorations of “Belgium 2030” and developed a master plan for the renovation of the Cinquantenaire-Jubelpark Site, home to Federal Museums and Conservation & Science Institutes (KIK-IRPA). This historic site aims to become a European Campus for Culture and Science, integrated into a Brussels Cultural Mile within the European District.
From 2001 to 2021, Dujardin was the CEO and Artistic Director of the Centre for Fine Arts Brussels (BOZAR). Under his leadership, BOZAR became a globally recognized multidisciplinary hub aligned with the ideals of the New European Bauhaus. In 2019 alone, BOZAR collaborated with over 1,000 partners worldwide, led 15 active EU projects, and operated in 100 countries. Pre-COVID, its annual budget reached €40 million. BOZAR attracted over 1.4 million visitors annually, serving as a vital cultural and diplomatic nexus in the EU.
Dujardin expanded BOZAR’s activities through an intersectoral approach integrating arts, science, and technology, with a focus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to maximize social impact. BOZAR’s numerous exhibitions, festivals, and hybrid events became a model for social cohesion and contemporary cultural discourse. Over two decades, more than 100 internationally acclaimed exhibitions were produced under his guidance.
Since 2016, Dujardin has advised the EU on cultural diplomacy strategies and co-authored initiatives like the “New Narrative for Europe” (2013–2018). His work bridges policymaking, societal issues, and the arts, collaborating with leading scientists, artists, and politicians.
Beyond BOZAR, Dujardin has held numerous leadership roles, including Founder and CEO of Ars Musica, General Manager of the Brussels Philharmonic Society, Co-Administrator of the Belgian National Orchestra, President of the International Music Council – UNESCO (2013–2023), and President of Europa Nostra Belgium (since 2018).
He holds master’s degrees in Art History, Archaeology & Musicology (VUB, 1986) and Management (VLEKHO, 1987).

Susana Gómez-Martínez is an Assistant Professor at the University of Évora’s School of Social Sciences, where she teaches mediaeval and Islamic archaeology. She holds a degree in Geography and History from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and completed her PhD there in 2004. Her research career began with internships in archaeological sites across Spain, France, Israel, and Portugal, and she has been a researcher at the Mértola Archaeological Centre since 1992 and the Research Centre in Archaeology, Arts and Cultural Heritage (CEAACP) since 2008. She has received various research grants, including a doctoral fellowship from FCT and post-doctoral fellowships with the European project “MERCATOR” and FCT. Gómez-Martínez has held teaching positions at several universities in Portugal and Spain between 2009 and 2018. She has written over 200 papers, edited 14 monographs, and served on the editorial committees of several academic journals. She is also a mentor to PhD and Master’s students. Her research focuses on mediaeval and Islamic archaeology, with notable involvement in projects like the CEAACP’s Strategic Project and “Alcáçova de Mértola”. She has coordinated major heritage conservation projects and curated two travelling exhibitions. Gómez-Martínez holds leadership roles in several academic and professional organisations, including the Mértola Archaeological Centre (CAM), the Spanish Association of Medieval Archaeology (AEAM) and the Association Internationale pour l’Etude des Céramiques Médiévales et Modernes en Méditerranée (AIECM3)

Jonas Malmberg (b.1974) has M.Sc.Arch at Oulu University 2002 and M.A. at Helsinki University 2012. He is preparing PhD on Säynätsalo Town Hall. Since 2012 he has been employed at Aalto Foundation. He has been a member of the board of DOCOMOMO Finland since 2014 and chairman since 2023, and a voting member of ISC20C. He was the main author of Paimio Sanatorium CMP 2015 and participated in Sevan Writers’ House CMP (Armenia 2019), and has lectured at various universities. He co-edited the book DOCOMOMO Finland – Register Selection (2018). His previous places of employment include the Finnish Heritage Agency and Finnish Architectural Review.

Michiel Purmer studied Human Geography, specialising in Historical Geography at Utrecht University. In 2000, he began working for Natuurmonumenten, a Dutch NGO that manages more than 100.000 HA of nature reserves, including a broad array of cultural heritage: archaeology, country estates, historical buildings and cultural landscapes. As a senior heritage specialist, he is an advisor on cultural heritage for this society in the field of landscapes, archaeology and parks and gardens. Michiel Purmer also represents Natuurmonumenten in the broad field of cultural heritage in The Netherlands, working, for example, with other nature conservation organisations, the Dutch Heritage Agency and universities.
Michiel Purmer defended his PhD thesis at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in 2018. The thesis, entitled Het landschap bewaard (The landscape preserved), studied Natuurmonumenten as a heritage organisation, with a focus on historical cultural landscapes from a historical perspective.
Michiel Purmer guest lectures at universities and previously held a position at Groningen University. He regularly publishes on heritage and landscape, but also on other fields of interest like numismatic and clay pipes.
He is a member of the National Consultation Panel on Heritage of the Netherlands, a member of the Committee Landscape History of the Limburgs Geschiedkundig en Oudheidkundig Genootschap (LGOG), a board member of the Dutch Network Historic Cultural Landscape (Netwerk Historisch Cultuurlandschap), chair of the Numismatic Study Group of the Amsterdam Museum.

Elif Aydın is a dedicated urban planner and cultural heritage professional. Currently, she works at the HERKUL Institute of KU Leuven, focusing on the Una Europa and European Heritage HUB projects. She also moderates the Istanbul Citizens’ Council’s Working Group on Urban Culture and Cultural Heritage, where she actively promotes participatory urban culture and raises awareness about cultural heritage. As Communications Manager at ESACH, she oversees content creation for events and calls, coordinates the “Journey of Heritage: Cultural Narratives” blog series, manages the organisation’s digital presence, and promotes awareness of cultural heritage. Elif’s background includes a valuable internship at Europa Nostra, where she contributed to youth involvement in cultural heritage management, as well as earlier experiences at Studio Redaelli Speranza in Milan and various Turkish municipalities. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Urban & Cultural Studies at Istanbul Technical University while conducting her research at KU Leuven as an international scholar.