Anna Wai Yu Yau

Anna Wai-Yu Yau is a distinguished heritage specialist with extensive experience in cultural heritage management and sustainable development. As a Project Manager at the Centre for Civil Society and Governance at The University of Hong Kong, she leads the award-winning HSBC Rural Sustainability Programme, which received UNESCO's Special Recognition for Sustainable Development in 2020. Her expertise spans multiple areas including built heritage conservation, intangible cultural heritage safeguarding, and heritage entrepreneurship. As an accredited heritage conservationist with both ICOMOS and HKICON certifications, and a certified Project Management Professional (PMI), she has made significant contributions to heritage conservation across the Asia-Pacific region, working in countries including Brunei Darussalam, China, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, and Timor-Leste. Her achievements were recognized when she was appointed as a jury member for the UNESCO Asia Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation in 2021. She is also actively involved in developing socio-economic models for sustainable rural landscape heritage and integrating cultural heritage into both formal and informal education systems, while serving as a member of Hong Kong's Museum Advisory Committee and the Hong Kong Institute of Architectural Conservationists.