According to a press release, one of Kelly's duties will be organizing the 2007 reopening of the Royal Festival Hall, which is currently under renovation. (The reopening has been delayed from spring to summer by construction problems.)

Kelly founded the Solent People's Theatre in Southhampton in 1976 and was artistic director of London's innovative Battersea Arts Centre in the 1980s. She spent 14 years as artistic director and CEO of the West Yorkshire Playhouse, before leaving to create Metal, an art space in an derelict metal-working building in North London. Her theatrical productions include an Olivier Award-winning production of Singin' in the Rain. She is also overseeing the cultural programming that will accompany the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

"I am so pleased to have such a key British cultural player to work with our team at the South Bank to achieve the greatest opening in June 2007 and to ensure we are a magnet for the greatest artists in the world," South Bank Centre CEO Michael Lynch said. "Jude will work closely with me and our talented programming and curatorial teams to ensure we remain the epicentre of London's cultural life."