Sophia Handaka
Dr Sophia Handaka, Oxon
Sophia Handaka is Co-Founder and Host of the CoMuseum International Conference and Curator of World Cultures at the Benaki Museum, Athens. In both capacities, she focuses on creating the conditions for collaboration and empowerment of communities, advocating for museums and culture as key drivers of sustainable development.
Holding a DPhil from the University of Oxford in Social Anthropology with a focus on museums and material culture, Sophia enjoys 25 years of engagement in the field of culture, heritage and creativity with numerous exhibitions, publications, public programs, research and development projects, cultural synergies, consulting and teaching in her portfolio. She is co-founder of the non-profit KOΛEKTIVA for social innovation and culture, member of Bosch Alumni Network and a 2019 fellow of the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program.
She recently contributed to a collective research and publication commissioned by the think-tank diaNEOsis on the value of culture, including extensive policy proposal for the empowerment of the Cultural and Creative Sector in Greece (Απελευθερώνοντας τις Δυνάμεις του Πολιτισμού. Προτάσεις Πολιτικής).