William Sieghart is former chairman of the Somerset House Trust.
15 Facts About William Sieghart
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William Sieghart is the author of The Poetry Pharmacy and The Poetry Pharmacy Returns, as well as various other poetry anthologies and a book on golf, The Swing Factory.
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From 2015 to 2021, William Sieghart was Chair of Somerset House Trust.
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William Sieghart founded Forward Publishing in 1986, with Neil Mendoza, and turned it into one of the largest publishing agencies in the world.
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In 1992, William Sieghart established The Forward Prizes for Poetry to help raise the profile of contemporary poetry by new and established poets.
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William Sieghart's initiative Winning Words was a public art project during the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
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William Sieghart chaired and authored An Independent Review of E-Lending in Public Libraries in England published by Department Culture, Media and Sport, 2013 and was jointly commissioned by DCMS and DCLG to consider and report on Public Library services in England.
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In September 2015, William Sieghart was appointed Chairman of Somerset House Trust.
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William Sieghart is founder and chair of Forward Thinking, a charity that seeks to mediate conflict in the Middle East and to improve relations between the Islamic and Western worlds.
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William Sieghart founded and chairs Streetsmart Action for Homeless, is founding trustee of the Forward Arts Foundation, chair of the CIVIC Libraries initiative and a trustee of the Grenfell Foundation.
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William Sieghart served as chair of Somerset House from 2015 to 2021, and has been a trustee of the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, The Arts Foundation, the RSA and the British Human Rights and Reprieve.
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William Sieghart is a former council member of the Arts Council England and was chair of its Lottery Panel.
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In January 2024 William Sieghart became Chair of Trustees of the Henry Smith Charity, a grant-giving charity helping people and communities in the UK.
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William Sieghart has published many books and is a regular broadcaster.
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William Sieghart was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to public libraries.