Jude Kelly was the Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre in London for 12 years. Southbank Centre is Europe’s largest Arts Institution and London’s 3rd biggest tourist attraction. 

She is currently building the WOW Foundation. Jude created the WOW – Women of the World Festival in 2010 which celebrates the achievements of Women and Girls. WOW is now entering its 9th year at Southbank Centre as well as taking place in other parts of the UK and 20 countries in 5 continents across the world. 

She is an award winning theatre and opera director and has been the recipient two Olivier awards, a BASCA Gold Badge Award winner for contribution to music, a Southbank Award for her opera work, Red Magazine’s 2014 Creative Woman of the Year, CBIs 2016 First Woman Award winner for Tourism and Leisure and in 2017 won the inaugural Veuve Clicquot Woman of the Year Social Purpose Award. Her recent TED talk currently has over 1.4 million views. She has founded a range of arts institutions including the international artists space METAL.

In 1997, she was awarded an OBE for her services to theatre and in 2015 she was made a CBE for services to the Arts.

You can follow Jude on Twitter at @judekelly_ and can find out about the WOW Foundation at thewowfoundation.com.