Jude Kelly

Jude Kelly CBE was appointed Artistic Director of Southbank Centre, Britain’s largest cultural institution, in 2006. She founded both Solent People’s Theatre and Battersea Arts Centre and was also the founding director of the West Yorkshire Playhouse. In 1997, she was awarded an OBE for her services to theatre and in 2015, she was made a CBE in the New Year Honours for services to the Arts. She has directed over 100 productions from the Royal Shakespeare Company to the Châtalet in Paris.

Since becoming Artistic Director of Southbank Centre, she has created many of its important festivals including WOW – Women of the World Festival in 2011. In 2014 Jude was voted one of Britain’s 100 most powerful women by the BBC.