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Meet the Board

Smiling white man in his sixties with a beard and glasses

Peter Stone

President

In August 2020, Professor Peter Stone was elected as President of the Blue Shield, after serving on the international Board as a member from 2014-2017, and as Vice-President from 2017-2020.

He is the UNESCO Chair in Cultural Property Protection (CPP) and Peace at Newcastle University (UK), and has served as Chair of the UK national committee of the Blue Shield since its founding in 2012. He was previously Head of the School of Arts and Cultures and Director of the International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies at Newcastle University, prior to which he worked for for English Heritage, as a field archaeologist, and history teacher. He has published widely on heritage management, interpretation, education, and CPP. Peter was Honorary CEO of the World Archaeological Congress (1998-2008), and has worked with colleagues in China since 2007 on the better management of the historic environment.

Peter has been involved in CPP since 2003 when he was advisor to the UK’s Ministry of Defence regarding the protection of cultural property in Iraq. He has written 17 papers on CPP and co-edited, with Joanne Farchakh Bajjaly, The Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Iraq (2008) and edited Cultural Heritage, Ethics and the Military (2011). His article ‘The 4 Tier approach’ led directly to the establishment of a CPP Unit in UK forces, and he advised the UK Government on the ratification of all parts of the 1954 Hague Convention.
Woman with long dark hair

Anna Puhr

Secretary
Elected Board Member

Anna Puhr is the Deputy Secretary-General of Blue Shield Austria and stepped into the position of Secretary of the International Board in 2025.

She holds a Master’s degree in Cultural Studies from KU Leuven, and dual Bachelor’s degrees in Educational Studies and Romance Studies, studying at the University of Vienna and Paris-East Créteil University.

Anna began her professional career at the UN Information Service in Vienna, before moving to Brussels to work for the Austrian Foreign Ministry at the Cultural Forum. She later became a policy advisor at the Austrian Mission to NATO. Contrary to her expectations, she was able to establish a relation between culture and security matters which has brought her into the field of cultural heritage protection in conflict and crises. Seeking hands-on experience in the field, she spent two months with the NGO Biladi in Lebanon during a time of revolution and after the Beirut port blast, researching the role of civil society in protecting cultural heritage. In 2024, she supported the National Defence Academy in Vienna during the anniversary year of the 1954 Hague Convention with a focus on Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC).

Currently, she works as a Scientific Associate for the EU-project ECHOES (European Cloud for Heritage OpEn Science) at the Austrian National Library and serves as EU Digital Representative of Blue Shield, reflecting her interest in the potential of digital cultural heritage.
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Klaus Weschenfelder

Elected Board Member, Treasurer

Klaus Weschenfelder presently serves as Treasurer on the Board of Blue Shield Germany since May 2020. He was elected to the International Board of the Blue Shield in August 2020 and was re-elected for a second term in 2023.

He was a Board Member of the International Committee of Fine Arts (ICFA) within ICOM 2003–2009, a Board Member of ICOM Germany 2007–2009 and Chair of ICOM Germany 2009–2013. Furthermore, he served on the Board of the Prince Albert Society 2007–2017 and on the Advisory Board of the Richard Wagner Museum Bayreuth 2012–2017.

Born in 1952, he studied art history, archaeology and history of the Roman Provinces, and pedagogy at the university of Munich; he graduated (M.A.) in 1977, Dr. phil. in 1980. He has worked in several German museums, last as director of Kunstsammlungen der Veste Coburg (2002‒2018).

He published in the field of museums education, cultural action, museology and on art his-tory from Middle Ages to 20th century. As Head of the Museums Department of the City of Koblenz, he gained experience in Disaster Risk Management, e.g. in dealing with the flood that affected the municipal museums situated near the rivers Rhine and Moselle; as Chair of ICOM Germany he initiated the publication of a manual on Preventive Conservation.
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Ömer Dabanlı

Elected Board Member

Ömer Dabanlı is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Architecture at Istanbul Technical University (ITU).

He received his bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering (2005), architecture (2007) at Istanbul Technical University. He holds an MSc degree in Structural Engineering (2008), a PhD degree in Architectural Restoration (2016) from ITU.

His research interests focus on the conservation and restoration of cultural properties, protecting cultural heritage in case of disasters and crisis, risk analysis, management and mitigation, traditional building materials, and consolidation of historic structures.

 He is a member of ICOMOS and the founding President of Blue Shield Türkiye since 2021. Between 2011 and 2022, he served as the founding Director of the Research Center for Conservation of Cultural Heritage and, from 2021 to 2022, as the founding Head of the Conservation Department at FSMVU. Since 2023, he has been serving as the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Architecture at ITU.

Dr Dabanlı has worked as coordinator in many national and international research projects funded by national and international institutions and as a consultant in conservation-restoration projects and implementations in Türkiye, Balkans, North Africa, Turkistan and Middle East region. He has published many scientific papers, articles, technical reports, book chapters and books about cultural heritage protection.
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Medea Ekner

Board Member, Designated representative of ICOM

Medea Ekner became the Director General of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in June 2023.

She is a museologist and future oriented museum strategist, with a passion for the preservation and promotion of global cultural heritage and international cooperation among museums. As Chair of ICOM Sweden, she initiated the accreditation process of one of the latest national BS committees: Blue Shield Sweden. She has previously served as the Vice Chair of the Advisory Council of the ICOM.

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Hamady Gaye

Elected Board Member

Hamady Gaye is of Senegalese nationality, where he is the Curator of Libraries. He is the Secretary General of the Senegal Blue Shield National Committee, and the Head of the Conservation and Preservation of Collections Department at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar (UCAD). He was elected to the International Board of the Blue Shield in August 2020 and was re-elected for a second term in 2023.

M. Gaye’s university course at UCAD leads to a professional Master 2 in documentary information sciences, option: Heritage valuation, a professional license in documentary information sciences, a diploma of aptitude for the functions of librarian; and a Diploma in Emergency Aid to Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis from ICCROM.

Mr Gaye is a library marketing specialist (stationed in the Public Relations Department of the Central Library of UCAD from 2011 to 2018), and is particularly active in emergency and heritage aid. In this capacity, he is a member of the Senegalese “Memory of the World” committee, the Sources Commission of the Editorial Board of the General History of Senegal and the Senegalese Association of Librarians.

He is the author of several communications and scientific publications on the theme of heritage and its safeguarding:

Sharon Memis

Board Member, Designated representative of IFLA

Sharon Memis, FRSA, took up the role of Secretary General and CEO of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) in June 2023. Sharon’s background is in international cultural relations and higher education. She is a passionate internationalist and speaks several languages. Sharon spent most of her career with the British Council and held senior leadership roles in Europe, North America and Asia promoting UK Education and Culture. She has also worked for a range of organisations as a consultant in international strategy. Prior to joining IFLA, Sharon was Chief Operating Officer at the Association of Commonwealth Universities.
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Carlos Eduardo Serrano Vásquez

Board Member, Designated representative of ICA

Carlos Eduardo Serrano Vásquez is the Executive Director of the International Council on Archives (ICA). Carlos leads the work of the ICA Secretariat and is responsible for the implementation of the organisation's strategies and policies. He is a Communications and Media professional, Specialist in Business Administration and Master in World Heritage, and has more than 20 years of experience in cultural heritage management, both nationally and internationally. He is also a part-time lecturer at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University for the Master in Museums and New Media. Previously, he coordinated ICOM's training programmes for international museum professionals. He has also been Chief of Education and Cultural Activities at the National Museum of Colombia, Site Manager of the San Agustin Archaeological Park, and Consultant to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
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Michał Wosiński

Board Member, Designated representative of ICOMOS

Michał Wosiński, MA ML, is the representative of ICOMOS on the International Board of Blue Shield and is an expert member of ICOMOS ICLAFI - International Scientific Committee on Legal Administrative and Financial Issues. Michał works internationally as Heritage Consultant specialising in World Heritage, cultural heritage law and Heritage Impact Assessments. He was involved in projects in the Arab States, Central Asia and Europe.

He works at Jacobs as Principal Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Specialist. Before that, from 2014 to 2021, he worked as Cultural Heritage Specialist in Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities.

Michał has published several papers on legal protection of cultural heritage in the Arab States. He is an alumnus of the World Heritage Studies programme at Brandenburg University of Technology.
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