Mark Williams

Mark co-founded Heart n Soul with Pino Fumiento in 1986, and has led the organisation as Artistic Director/Chief Executive ever since. He is a professionally trained musician and highly experienced producer, overseeing the development of the Beautiful Octopus Club since its launch in 1995 as the UK’s first large scale inclusive club night and the Dean Rodney Singers, a global project which brought together 72 artists from seven countries to make new music and video using the latest web technologies. Mark is frequently asked to share his experience: in 2016 he was invited to join the Advisory Panel for the Gulbenkian Foundation’s Inquiry into the Civic Role of Arts Organisations, and Create Associates - a network of individuals focused on rethinking ways of working with culture and communities in the UK’s developing cities. He was awarded an MBE for services to Disability Arts in 2010.

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