David Lordkipanidze is the first General Director of the Georgian National Museum, a network of twelve museums and two research centers that, under his leadership, have been extensively expanded and upgraded. A renowned archaeologist and paleoanthropologist, Prof. Dr. Lordkipanidze led the discovery of the earliest known hominid remains outside of Africa at the Georgian site of Dmanisi. A recipient of many international awards for his groundbreaking discoveries and leadership, he is a corresponding member of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences, a foreign associate of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, a member of the German Archaeological Institute, and a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. He received the Humboldt Prize (the Humboldt Research Award) from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2014). He was awarded the National Decorations of France, Georgia, and the Official Decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany—Goethe Medal (2016). He is the author of more than one hundred scientific articles and a regular contributor to scholarly journals. David Lordkipanidze dedicated a significant part of his professional career to the protection of cultural heritage, the transformation of traditional museums into modern and vibrant institutions, and the rethinking of museums’ permanent exhibitions. Under his leadership, the major renovation process of the museums united under the Georgian National Museum’s umbrella has started. Seven museums have already reopened their doors to the public: the Vani Archaeological Museum (reopened in 2020) has received the prestigious Silletto Prize for Community Participation and Engagement in 2023. This European Museum of the Year Award is to mark a "deep, continuous, and empowering involvement between a museum and its stakeholders".