Syed Mohamad Albukhary — Director, Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia

Syed Mohamad Albukhary trained in business, then spent nearly two decades in Italy before returning to Malaysia to found the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia. He has directed the institution since it opened in 1998, and under him the 30,000-square-metre museum has grown into one of the leading museums of Islamic art anywhere — the result of a deliberate acquisition policy and sustained engagement with the field internationally.

The museum has collected numerous awards and a reputation for excellence well beyond Malaysia. It was a pioneering institution for Southeast Asia, a region with a very large Muslim population, and reaching the widest possible audience has been the director's stated aim throughout.

He has used that position to push cultural dialogue forward, treating the correction of misconceptions about Islam and its culture as a priority and pursuing it through exhibitions, seminars and publications. Working alongside the Albukhary Foundation, he has campaigned for Malaysia to be recognised as a centre of scholarship and culture. Among the honours he has received is the Montblanc Arts Patronage Award.