Ted Hodgkinson, the Southbank Centre's long-serving director of literature and spoken word, is leaving the London institution to take up a newly created role as creative director of Hay Festival. He will join Hay's executive team in the autumn, taking responsibility for the festival's artistic and creative strategy and public programming, as it prepares for its 40th anniversary in 2027.

During his tenure at the Southbank Centre, Hodgkinson programmed more than 3,000 events, including the London Literature Festival, and broadened the venue's appeal by blending traditional literary programming with contemporary partnerships such as one with Dua Lipa's Service95 Book Club. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and a trustee of English PEN, New Writing North and The Arts Foundation. Hay Festival chief executive Julie Finch welcomed the appointment as coming at "a pivotal moment" for the organisation, while Hodgkinson said he intends to build on Hay's "exceptionally strong foundations" while being bold in reimagining its programme for audiences worldwide.