RIYADH: Saudi Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al-Saud has appointed Stefano Carboni as the new CEO of the Museums Commission, which will regulate the sector in the Kingdom and develop practitioners. Carboni was curator and administrator in the department of Islamic art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and visiting professor at the Bard Graduate Center, both in New York. He has managed museums and art galleries around the world, working for 16 years at The Metropolitan Museum of Art between 1992 and 2008, and has received a number of prestigious prizes in the field of heritage. He gained a Ph.D. in Arabic language and Islamic art from the School of Oriental and African Studies, SOAS University of London, in 1992. As the Museum Commission’s chief executive officer, Carboni will be responsible for formulating a strategy for the sector and granting licenses in the field, promoting funding and investment, and adopting professional training programs. His responsibilities will also include the design of relevant educational programs offering scholarships for talented people. The commission will cooperate and coordinate with relevant authorities to protect intellectual property rights in areas related to the museums sector. The Museums Commission is one of 11 new cultural authorities being launched by the Ministry of Culture to manage the Saudi cultural sector in its various specialized areas. The aim is to promote culture as a lifestyle, contributing to economic growth and enhancing the Kingdom’s position internationally, the Ministry of Culture said.