We are delighted to announce the return of our Intern to CEO series, in which successful heads of organisations tell us about their journey through the arts (or sometimes through completely different fields!). The first instalment of this season features trailblazer Elaine Bedell, Chief Executive of the Southbank Centre. Elaine will be interviewed about her career by Jon Jacob, journalist and blogger from the Thoroughly Good Blog in the Glasshouse at Jerwood Space.

Elaine was appointed CEO of the Southbank Centre in May 2017, becoming the first woman Chief Executive of Europe’s largest arts centre in its 66 year history. Previously, Elaine enjoyed a twenty-five year career in the media, working in senior roles at the BBC and at ITV where she commissioned and produced some of the UK’s most popular factual and entertainment titles including Strictly Come Dancing, The X factor, Britain’s Got Talent and Top Gear. She became a BBC producer at the age of 23, making talk shows and documentaries for BBC Radio 4 and eventually, a wide range of entertainment shows for television. In 1995, she set up her own production company, Watchmaker, which seven years later she sold to the Chrysalis Group, staying on for a further two years as MD of Chrysalis Entertainment. After a stint as Managing Director of the newly formed commercial arm of the Royal Shakespeare Company (which she set up) Elaine eventually returned to the BBC as Controller of Entertainment, moving across to ITV as Director of Entertainment and Comedy in 2009. Elaine was Executive Chair of the Edinburgh International TV Festival for four years and was appointed a Trustee for the V&A Museum by the Prime Minister in 2015.