Naseem Khan Biography 

NASEEM KHAN joined the Arts Council of England as Senior Policy Officer with special responsibility for cultural diversity in 1996, but has been actively engaged in that area for thirty years. She wrote the pioneering 'The Arts Britain Ignores' in 1976, and was founder/co-ordinator of the first national umbrella body for all non-indigenous arts activities, MAAS (Minorities Arts Advisory Service). A writer, broadcaster, policy developer/analyst and administrator, she wrote a weekly column in broad cultural issues for The New Statesman and was Theatre Editor of the magazine, Time Out. Hew jobs include executive co-ordinator of the alternative Festival of India and co-director of the Academy of Indian Dance. Her research consultancy projects - both with the grouping, Comedia, and independently - include a study of the role of urban parks and open space, the use of public libraries, and the social impact of the arts. In 1999, she received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to cultural diversity.