Jay Hunt

Hunt is the only person to have run three terrestrial broadcast channels, having previously led BBC One, Channel 4 and Channel 5.

Changing Faces

Hay festival names new chair

Arts Professional
2 min read

JAY HUNT has been appointed chair of Hay Festival Global, taking up the post in January 2025.

Creative director for Apple TV+ in Europe and chair of the BFI, Hunt previously
served on the board of the government’s Culture Recovery Fund and held roles as chief creative officer of Channel 4, controller of BBC One and director of programmes at Channel 5.

Stepping down after a decade in post, the current chair of Hay Festival Global, the literary agent CAROLINE MICHEL, will join the festival’s advisory council alongside other outgoing trustees.

“I am utterly delighted to be joining the Hay Festival Global board at such an exciting time,” said Hunt. “For years, it has been somewhere thoughtful people have come to discuss critical issues that impact us all, and this debate has never felt more necessary. I am passionate about the way stories connect us and can think of no better place to celebrate that than at Hay Festival.”

Hay Festival Global CEO JULIE FINCH added: “We are delighted to welcome Jay Hunt as chair of Hay Festival Global and look forward to three years of transformative work as our charity strives to meet the challenges of the
future.

“Reaching audiences with accessible, inspiring platforms for cultural exchange
requires innovation, collaboration and hope. We step into this new chapter with all three.”