William (Bill) Porter

A freelance journalist and foreign correspondent for some years after World War II, Bill Porter began his publishing career by setting up a marketing company, Eurobooks, to represent American and British publishers in Europe. In 1970 he established the UK arm of the multi-national publishing group, Wolters Kluwer, of which he was initially Managing Director and later Deputy Chairman. He had been Chairman of the British Publishers Association Law Panel and a National Council Member of the Periodical Publishers Association.

Bill Porter founded the International Communications Forum in 1991, and was its first President. In 2001 he handed over the role of President to Bernard Margueritte, becoming the ICF’s Founder President.

Bill Porter died on 1 April 2009. Click here to go to tributes and and here for obituaries.