Meet our new validators

ANNA WHICHER

Anna is Associate Director of Research and Professor of Design and Policy at PDR – International Centre for Design and Research – Cardiff Metropolitan University. Anna is passionate about what design can deliver for businesses, governments and communities. Anna has supported governments around the world to integrate design into their ways of working, develop design action plans, launch innovation labs, embed design into business support programmes and infuse circular design principles into strategies. Examples of her work include supporting the development of the first National Design Policy for the Philippines, delivering transformation through design within the European Central Bank and renewing government lab operating models in the UK and Latvia.

CRISTINA FARINHA

Cristina Farinha, 1973, PhD, is currently a freelance expert on policy research, development, evaluation and transnational cooperation, specialised in culture, heritage and the creative economy.

She has worked extensively from local and regional to international level in the conception, implementation, reporting and evaluation of diverse policies, programmes and organisations. Cristina has also been lecturing and participating as speaker and moderator in various universities, public discussions, academic conferences and workshops across Europe, USA, Africa and Middle East. She is interested in capacity building and knowledge dissemination; the strengthening of the role of culture and creativity in governance and development and the promotion of fair and sustainable mobility and international cooperation.

ELLEN LOOTS

As an Associate Professor of Cultural Economics and Entrepreneurship at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands, Ellen’s ambition lies in the harmonious integration of two vital themes: entrepreneurship and creativity. Through her work in education, research, and professional engagements, she aspires to intertwine these elements while upholding the values of sustainability and community. By fostering innovation and collaboration, she aims to empower individuals and organizations to explore new frontiers and make meaningful contributions to both society and the environment, through their activities in the arts and cultural and creative sectors. She has published in journals including the International Journal of Cultural Policy, Journal of Cultural Economics, International Journal of Arts Management, and Creativity and Innovation Management.

PHILIPPE KERN

Philippe Kern is founder and managing director of KEA, a unique research centre and consultancy, based in Brussels, specialised in designing strategies and policies for territories, organisations and people to unlock the potential of the cultural and creative sectors and sport since 1999. He successfully mediates between the cultural and creative sectors’ specificities and policy making. He is a copyright, trade and competition law specialist with 35 years’ experience in cultural and sports policies.

Kern manages high-profile European and international projects in creative entrepreneurship, international cultural relations, cultural heritage, art and science, research, strategic advice, association management and consultancy in the cultural, digital and sports economy.

He is expert adviser to the European Commission, European Parliament, WIPO, Council of Europe, EIB/EIF, the Cultural Relations Platform and many others.

He has worked in 40+ countries and authored several books including The Future of Cultural Policies (2020) and Before the Storm: culture as an agent of transformation (2024). He lectures at Kedge Business School (Paris) and EPFL (Lausanne).

PIER LUIGI SACCO

Pier Luigi Sacco, PhD, is Professor of Biobehavioral Economics, Department of Neuroscience, University of Chieti-Pescara, Senior Advisor to the OECD Center for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions, and Cities, and Affiliate Researcher at metaLAB (Harvard).

He has been Interim Director of the Policy AP of EIT-KIC Culture and Creativity, Visiting Scholar at Harvard University and Special Adviser to the EU Commissioner for Education, Culture, Youth and Sport.

He is a member of numerous scientific boards across culture and health fields and works internationally in cultural policy, culture-led development and creative economy research. He has published 250+ papers.

TONI ATTARD

Toni Attard (Malta) is the Founder and Director of Culture Venture, an advisory, research and training firm for the cultural and creative sector. He is also founder and creative producer of Udjenza. He holds an MSc in cultural management and policy and a BA in communications.

He was the first Director of Strategy at Arts Council Malta, co-authored Malta’s creative economy strategy and national cultural policies, and chaired the International Programming Advisory Committee for the World Summit for Arts and Culture (2019). He champions cultural rights and creative mobility across global platforms.