Born in Quebec (Canada), Mikhael De Thyse studied the history of architecture and urban planning at the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium) and specialized at the Raymond Lemaire International Center for Conservation (RLICC – KUL, Leuven).

After creating a heritage consultancy company in Brussels, he joined the Council of Europe (Strasbourg, France) where he spent most of his career. For 24 years, he developed and directed the technical cooperation program aimed at implementing the main international treaties on the preservation and enhancement of cultural heritage.

Thanks to the numerous projects carried out in the 47 European states, Mikhael De Thyse has contributed to the emergence of an original heritage approach to the development of cities and territories. He has also acquired essential operational skills to develop and implement innovative urban management and rehabilitation strategies and to propose complex financial and interdisciplinary arrangements.