Management Team
Khalifa Bin Ahmed Al-Khalifa holds a Masters of Arts in Museum Anthropology from Columbia University in the United States of America (2015), Masters of Science in Sustainable Development from University College London in the United Kingdom (2010), and a Bachelor of Science in Marine Biology from Griffith University in Australia (2007).
He started his career at the Pubic Commission for the Protection of Marine Resources, Environment, and Wildlife in 2008, followed by an appointment at the Ministry of Culture in 2011, joining the team working on "Pearling: Testimony of an Island Economy", Khalifa was also designated as the National Focal Point for the World Heritage Convention. In 2013, he was appointed Assistant Director at the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage, before being appointed as Director of Museums Directorate at the Culture Authority in 2016.
His Excellency Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa was appointed Head of the Diplomatic Mission of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the French Republic, as Ambassador-Designate Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative of Bahrain to UNESCO by Decree No. (83) Of 2021 before assuming the duties of President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities in accordance with Royal Decree No. (38) July 2022.
Shaikh Mohammad bin Khalifa bin Mohammad Al Khalifa received a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA in 2001. In 2005, he was awarded a Master’s degree in Business Administration & Marketing from NYIT University, USA. Shaikh Mohammad was appointed as a Bid Manager at the Bahrain Telecommunications Company (Batelco), then proceeded to the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) as a Senior Business Development Officer, where he played a key and Instrumental role in setting up the Bahrain Financial Services Development Unit at the EDB. Moreover, he was appointed as Head of Planning at the Bahrain Logistics Zone and later on as Chief of Commercial Affairs at the Ports & Maritime Affairs at the Ministry of Transportation. His professional career was diverse, covering also the post of Procurement Manager at the Bahrain International Circuit.
Farah Mattar is a graduate of Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, in 2000 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts and Interior Design. She also earned several accredited professional certifications in the fields of management, leadership, marketing and media.
Prior to joining the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, she worked at the Economic Development Board where she was a Manager in the Marketing and Communications department, first leading the Global Communications team and more recently heading Sponsorships and Events. She began her career as Assistant Head of Marketing at the Central Bank of Bahrain (previously the Bahrain Monetary Agency).
he holds a phd in archeology from the faculty of archeology - cairo university, which was awarded in 2013. al mahari started his professional career in the field of archaeology at the bahrain national museum’s antiquities’ restoration laboratories in 2001, and then progressed to scale up several administrative positions such as the head of the department of antiquities in the directorate of antiquities and museums and the then he became the director of the directorate at bahrain authority for culture and antiquities.
during his tenure in the department of antiquities for 20 years, dr. salman al mahari, along with the antiquities and museums department team, took the responsibility of managing and preserving archaeological sites and conducting archaeological studies and excavations. dr. salman al mahari has several publications related to heritage and archeology, and he organizes and conducts many activities and events aimed at raising the level of community awareness about the importance of preserving cultural heritage.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Bahrain, and earned a cadre certificate from the Institute of Public Administration for developing government leadership. She started working in the Ministry of Information as an accountant in the Financial Resources Department, then moved to the Ministry of Culture, currently known as the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, in 2010 as Head of Budget Planning and Control, then assumed the position of Head of Financial Resources in 2014.
hani ali jamal holds a bachelor’s degree in communications and public relations from the university of bahrain. he started his career as the assistant undersecretary of islamic affairs office at the sunni waqaf directorate in 1993, followed by an appointment at bahrain radio and television authority where he worked for 13 years. in 2009, he joined the ministry of culture coordination and follow-up specialist in the minister of culture office, before moving to the ministry of culture in 2009, then he progressed to several positions, including the director of the national theatre.
hani jamal contributed to the organization’s numerous events and festivals over the past years. he also participated in several training programs and courses specializing in event planning and management, among others.
mustafa salman al sulaiman holds a bachelor's degree in architecture from the university of bahrain, earned in 2009, along with several specialized courses in project management and cultural heritage. he has over 10 years of experience in managing and restoring cultural and heritage sites in bahrain.
he has served as the head of restoration and projects and the director of maintenance and services at the bahrain authority for culture and antiquities, where he oversaw several prominent projects such as the pearling path, inscribed on the unesco world heritage list, and the development of the dilmun burial mounds museum, also on the same list. additionally, he managed various cultural infrastructure projects, national heritage projects, and strategic cultural initiatives.
before joining the authority, he worked as an architect and property manager in both local and regional companies, such as hsbc in bahrain and keo international in qatar. he also has international experience, having participated in organizing bahrain's pavilion at expo 2020 in dubai.
before becoming the director of national heritage, dana abdulghani worked as a heritage design consultant at the bahrain authority for culture and antiquities, where she was part of the team on the pearling path project. over the course of 13 years, she contributed to the authority's four major annual festivals and expanded her work in crafts to include publications, product design, and programs that reimagine and develop traditional crafts, as well as training artisans.
as a graphic designer with a degree from the lebanese american university, dana successfully applied her studies, training, and passion for design to initiatives such as "made in bahrain" and "unearthing”.
on an international level, representing the authority and the kingdom of bahrain, dana was part of the organizing team for the archaeologies of green pavilion, bahrain's national pavilion at expo milan 2015. she later took on the role of director of the bahrain pavilion at expo 2020 dubai.
Shouq AlAlawi is a graduate of Griffith University, Queensland, Australia with a Master's Degree in Sociology and Cultural Studies (2012) with a focus in the Arts, and she holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from the University of Bahrain (2003).
She began her career in 2003 in the Marketing Department of Bahrain Financial Harbour Holding Company. Prior to joining the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, she worked as a Director of Communication and Marketing at Maalem Holding Company. She later held the position of Head of Art and Curating at the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities (2012), where she managed many local and international and travelling exhibitions, as well as specialised art projects in the fields of urban beautification, design, heritage and food.
She also earned several accredited professional certifications in the fields of curating, museums studies, crisis management, leadership, education, marketing and media.
huda abdulghaffar al alawi has 30 years of experience working in the field of public relations, including diplomatic work with the french embassy, as well as working in the public sector. over her career, she received numerous awards and recognitions, most notably the national order of merit from the president of france in 2001.
huda al alawi graduated from the university of bahrain with a bachelor’s degree in english literature. she also earned a diploma in leadership from the bahrain institute for public administration, in addition to several accredited certifications in the fields of protocol, public relations, administration, and others. she worked for several years as the director of communication and promotion at the bahrain authority for culture and antiquities, and previously at the ministry of culture, before taking on her role as the director of culture at the authority.
haya al sadah has over 15 years of experience in the cultural field in the kingdom of bahrain. she holds a master’s degree in middle eastern and near eastern studies from the university of london with honors and a bachelor's degree in business administration from babson college in the united states, also with honors.
she has held the position of cultural affairs advisor at the bahrain authority for culture and antiquities, as well as the head of arts and exhibitions, and head of cultural affairs. in addition, she has held various roles in the field of world heritage, including vice chairperson of the world heritage committee in 2011 and a member of bahrain’s delegation to the world heritage committee from 2009 to 2013. she also worked with the founding team of the arab regional centre for world heritage.
al sadah represented the kingdom of bahrain in several important international and un forums, including the implementation of unesco-related agreements, and participated in leadership programs focused on cultural affairs in germany, the united kingdom, and malta. she has overseen numerous collaborations with cultural institutions and embassies in the field of culture.
throughout her career, she contributed to enhancing the local cultural scene by supervising several projects that highlighted bahrain's heritage, such as the national oral history preservation project and the oral history forum. she also managed several editions of the bahrain international book fair and organized many events accompanying bahrain’s participation in international book fairs. moreover, she organized cultural festivals, such as the bahrain summer festival and the bahrain international music festival.
she supervised the launched of a series of cultural initiatives in the historic city of manama, including the inauguration of the post office museum and the cultural program "from the post," which featured a series of events highlighting the features of the old city.
haya al sadah is a member of the international council of museums (icom), the focal point for the unesco creative cities network for the old city of muharraq (uccn), and the focal point for the memory of the world program (mow). she is also the representative member of the bahrain authority for culture and antiquities on the board of trustees of the kanoo museum.
