Gudgin, who worked as director of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival from 1999 for eight years, will take up his new position on 1 August and will take over from Ian Ritchie.
He said: "It is a real privilege to be a part of this great festival, which reflects on the extraordinary history, architecture, people and ambition of this city. As we explore the numerous possibilities offered by the post-Olympic cultural legacy there has never been a better time to build on the potential offered by the festival’s incredible 50-year history to showcase the very best that the city has to offer."
During his time at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Gudgin oversaw expansion and international growth, as well as ticket sales doubling from 800,000 to 1.6 million during the eight-year period.
Afterwards, he established his own consultancy working on a wide range of festival projects for Event Management, Ontario Arts Council and Events Tasmania.
Lady Brewer, chairman of the City of London Festival, said: "Paul is one of Britain’s brightest festival directors rightly renowned for his enthusiasm, creativity and talent. I speak for all the trustees when I say we are looking forward to Paul’s vision for the Festival in 2014 and beyond. Thanks must go to Ian Ritchie who, over the past eight years, has devised and executed critically acclaimed programmes for the festival. He has been a tireless advocate of the festival and leaves with our sincere best wishes for his future artistic endeavours."
Ritchie will be devoting more time to his current artistic directorship at The Setúbal Music Festival in Portugal, The Musical Brain, which focuses on music, science and the mind.
The City of London Festival celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2012, experiencing a record-breaking increase in ticket sales, and hosting more than 100 performances over 34 days in 55 London venues.
This year’s festival takes place between 23 June and 26 July.
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