As president of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, renowned historian HE Shaikha Mai is the foremost public expert in the field, holding the unique portfolios of the Ministry for Culture & Information and the Ministry for Culture. She is a leading figure in the Arab culture and art scenes.  Shaikha Mai has spearheaded national efforts to develop the cultural infrastructure in the Kingdom of Bahrain for heritage conservation and the growth of sustainable tourism.

Being the founder of the Sheikh Ebrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Center for Culture and Research and Chair of its Board of Trustees since 2002, she works actively to foster culture and preserve the traditional architecture of Bahrain. It was to this end that she launched the nation-wide ‘Invest in Culture’ initiative and built an unprecedented partnership between the private and public sectors for heritage preservation. This lead to the establishment of the Bahrain Fort Site Museum and the Bahrain National Theater.