William Matthew Timothy Stephen Sieghart CBE (born 1960) is a British entrepreneur, publisher and philanthropist[1] and the founder of the Forward Prizes for Poetry.

In addition to his work in poetry and the Middle East, Sieghart also founded Big Arts Week and Street Smart, the initiative whereby diners give a percentage of their restaurant bill to the homeless.

Events take place in schools, pubs, arts centres, bookshops, libraries, buses, trains and Women's Institutes, and the day is the focus for media attention for poetry.

It aimed to enable everyone to experience poetry in exciting ways and to create a legacy of inspiring words for the nation to enjoy.

[8] Sieghart chaired and authored An Independent Review of E-Lending in Public Libraries in England[9] published by Department Culture, Media and Sport, 2013 and was subsequently jointly commissioned by DCMS and DCLG to consider and report on Public Library services in England.

He 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.

He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to public libraries.