Paris born and Dubai-based, Cyril Zammit started his career in 1991 at the Institut Français in Prague, before relocating to London, to the Cultural department of the French Embassy.

In 1998, he moved to Switzerland, to manage the sponsorship for Montreux Jazz Festival, then headed the launch of the UBS Verbier Festival Youth Orchestra, in addition to the sponsorship of Art Basel and Art Basel Miami Beach as part of the UBS International Sponsorship team.

In 2005, Cyril joined HSBC Private Bank (Suisse), as Marketing & Communications Senior Manager, where he signed and managed the sponsorship of Design Miami/ & Design Miami/Basel until June 2009. In September that year, he joined the cultural department of Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), Abu Dhabi, as Senior Sponsorship & Funding Manager.

In 2011, he created the first fair entirely dedicated to collectible and limited edition design in the Middle East and South Asia, which launched as Design Days Dubai in 2012 and later Dubai Design Week (October 2015).

In 2017, he joined Dubai Culture & Arts Authority as Expert for the Vice Chairman Board of Directors Office and the International Relations Office.

In February 2020, he joined the team of HE Zaki Nusseibeh, Minister of State and HE Omar Saif Ghobash at the Office of Public and Cultural Diplomacy at the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation, as expert for Cultural Affairs.

Established as independent design advisor and consultant since 2017, Cyril counts amongst his clients designers based in the UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia as well as design galleries and practitioners. Since March 2022, he also became the Strategic Advisor of the Art & Culture Development Foundation (Tashkent, Uzbekistan). In May 2023, Cyril joined L’ECOLE Middle East, School of Jewellery Arts as Consultant.

Social and Personal Engagement

France

• Le French Design 100 Awards - Jury member (2022)

Italy

• EDIT Napoli - Jury member (October 2024)

Qatar

• ‘Crafting Futures - Exploring the Intersection of Craft and Design for Future Creation’ Talk at Doha Design Biennial - Moderator (February 2024)

Saudi Arabia

• Royal Commission for AlUla - Design Consultant (from December 2023)

• National Pavilion of Saudi Arabia, Venice Architecture Biennale 2023 - Assistant Curator (May - November 2023)

• AlUla Design Awards - Jury member (Product Design, 2022 & 2023)

• Saudi Design Festival - Speaker, Moderator and Mentor (2022 & 2023)

• Ithra - Instructor (Series of classes on ‘Event Management’, December 2022 and March, June & December 2023)

Taiwan

• ‘The Taiwanese Craft Equation’ Exhibition and booth by The Natonal Taiwanese Craft Research and Development Institute - International Curator (國際策展人) - Maison&Objet, September 2022.

• ‘Neo-Taiwanese Craftsmanship’ Exhibition by The National Taiwanese Craft Research and Development Institute - International Curator (國際策展人) - March 2022

United Arab Emirates

• Commercial Interior Design Awards - Jury member (June-September 2024)

• Commercial Interior Design Hospitality Awards - Jury member (May-June 2024)

• Dubai Design Week - Urban Commissions - Jury member (2023 & 2024)

• L’ECOLE Middle East, School of Jewelry Arts - Consultant (Since May 2023)

• Dubai Design Week 2022 - Curator ‘UAE Design’ Exhibition & ‘Source, Resource, Outsource’ Talk Series

• Alliance Française, Dubai - Board member (Sept. 2021 - Dec. 2023)

• Esquire Middle East - Resident Design Expert (since 2020)

• Emirati Futurism Award - Jury member (Design, 2021)

• Audi Innovation Award - Jury member (2016, 2018, 2020)

• Van Cleef & Arpels Middle East Emergent Designer Prize - Jury member (2013, 2015, 2021)

Uzbekistan

• ‘Crafting Uzbekistan - Tradition in Threads’ at Design Doha Biennial - Co-curator (February 2024)

• ‘The Uzbek Chapter’ - Homo Faber Guide - Moderator ‘The Power of Craft’ (Bukhara, May 2023)

• ‘Handmade, Heartmade - Nada Debs’ - Moderator (Tashkent, January 2023)

• Uzbekistan Economic Forum - Moderator ‘The Creative Economy as a Cultural Dividend’ (November 2022)

• Art & Culture Development Foundation - Strategic Advisor (March 2021 - onwards)