A transformative leader in the global events industry, Hugh Forrest dedicated more than three decades of his life to building South by Southwest (SXSW) into one of the world's most influential gatherings of technology, innovation and culture.Over the course of his 30+ year tenure at SXSW, Hugh was honored as "Austinite of the Year" by the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce (in 2012) and was also awarded as "Austin Entrepreneur of the Year" by Ernst & Young (in 2014).Kenyon College, his alma mater, bestowed him with an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters in 2018, acknowledging his significant impact on arts, culture, and education.His commitment to diversity and inclusion was likewise recognized when Hugh received the Diversity Champion of the Year award from the Austin Black Business Journal in June 2021. Austin Mayor Steve Adler also honored him with a key to the city in January 2023.Hugh is now channeling his experience and expertise into exciting new directions with a consultancy that serves community-focused events, experiences and organizations globally.Current clients include Andus Labs (a New York-based startup that teaches human-first strategies for artificial intelligence implementation), SP2B (an eight-day celebration of culture and business scheduled for August 2026 in São Paulo, Brazil), and Your First Million LIVE (Arlan Hamilton's amazing entrepreneurial-focused experience in Los Angeles).Connect with him at [email protected]
