Professor Tomislav S. Šola 

Chairman, The Best in Heritage Board of Advisors

Director, The Best in Heritage

He finished Art History in Zagreb, Museology in Paris, and made his PhD in Ljubljana. Starting the career as a museum curator he then became director of Museum documentation centre in Zagreb. He became Chairman of the National Committee and later on member of Executive council of ICOM. He occupied the position of Head of Department of Information Sciences, held Chair of Museology at the University of Zagreb and was regularly teaching at seven universities abroad. He was a member of jury of EMYA and head of a jury at Europa Nostra where he was also a Council member.  Professor Šola lectured about 325 hours internationally and wrote eight books, chapters in nine books and about 250 articles. He founded "The Best in Heritage" conference. Visit his Mnemosophy blog here.

Hermann Parzinger
 

Co-Chair, The Best in Heritage Board of Advisors

Executive President, Europa Nostra

Professor Dr Hermann Parzinger, archaeologist, led the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) from 1990 to 2008, with over 30 years' fieldwork across Europe, the Near East and Central Asia. From 2008 to 2025 he headed the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK), overseeing 27 museums, libraries, archives and research institutes, and steering the Museum Island renovation and founding of the Humboldt Forum. He taught Prehistoric Archaeology for nearly 40 years, latterly as Honorary Professor at Freie Universität Berlin. His awards include the Leibniz Prize and several honorary doctorates; he belongs to academies worldwide and has been Europa Nostra's Executive President since 2018.

Sara DeYoung
 

Co-Chair, The Best in Heritage Board of Advisors

Head, Visitor Experience, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Sara DeYoung is a visitor experience expert with deep knowledge of museum operations and organisational change. As Head of Visitor Experience at The Met, she helps welcome over 4.6 million annual visitors. Formerly at the Brooklyn Museum for 11 years, she co-created the award-winning ASKBrooklyn Museum app. Her previous roles include work with Hilferty Museum Planning, Monticello, and the Smithsonian. Sara also teaches at Pratt Institute, leading graduate courses on digital culture, museum practice, and audience research. She is dedicated to fostering inclusive, engaging, and visitor-centred environments across both physical and digital spaces.

Laishun An,
 

Co-Chair, The Best in Heritage Board of Advisors

Chairperson, Asia-Pacific Regional Alliance of International Council of Museums (ICOM-ASPAC) 

Professor Dr Laishun An holds a PhD in Chinese History and is Professor of Heritage Studies and Museology at Shanghai University's School of Heritage and Information Management. He chairs ICOM-ASPAC and directs ICOM-IMREC, and serves as Vice President of the Chinese Museums Association. Over recent decades he has held senior roles across national, regional and international heritage bodies, including ICOM Executive Council member (2010–2016) and ICOM Vice President (2016–2022). He has driven the internationalisation of Chinese museums and strengthened regional cooperation, while pioneering 'new museology' and ecomuseology approaches to safeguarding ethnic minority heritage. He has published over one hundred papers on museological theory and management.