Hugh Forrest is an American event executive serving as the co-president and chief programming officer of South by Southwest (SXSW), a major annual conglomeration of film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences in Austin, Texas.

Forrest graduated from Austin High School in 1980 and later earned a degree in English from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.

In addition to his local honors, he was awarded Diversity Champion of the Year by the Austin Black Business Journal in 2021.

[5] In January 2023, Austin Mayor Steve Adler presented Forrest with a Key to the City for his longstanding impact on the community and the success of SXSW.

In 2012, Forrest, along with SXSW Co-founders Roland Swenson, Louis Black, and Nick Barbaro, was named "Austinite of the Year" by the Austin Chamber of Commerce.