Cultural Consultant
Lara is a freelance cultural consultant specialising in diversity, innovation, leadership, collaboration and cultural policy implementation within the HE, cultural and digital sector. She develops and delivers projects and policy on how cultural and digital technology intersect for a number of national partners as well as programmes around leadership, resilience and business development for the arts and creative industries.
She co-produced RE:Present and ASTONish, two leadership programmes supporting the development of cultural leaders from diverse backgrounds. She is currently co-producing AD:Vantage which places the vantage point of d/Deaf, neurodivergent and disabled creative practitioners at the heart of leadership. She is also the Co-Curator of Hello Culture, an ongoing series of events that explores how digital technologies and media are disrupting the way cultural and heritage organisations can produce, interact, create, curate content, transforming how audiences can connect and engage with cultural experiences.
She is on the Derby Theatre, Vivid Projects and the Advisory Groups of SHOUT Festival and Coventry Biennial. She is also a Member of Arts Council England Midlands Area Council and the Equality Monitoring Group for Arts Council Wales, and the Centre for Cultrual Value Covid-19 Policy Reference Group.
Photo credit: Ian Davies Photo
Industry Champions
Sarah Ellis
Director of Digital Development at Royal Shakespeare Company
Tom Chalmers
Founder and Managing Director at Legend Times Group
Sade Banks
Founder and CEO of Sour Lemons
Mandy Barker
Founder of Sail Creative
Lucy Bayliss
Head of Creative Programmes at DanceEast
Charlotte Beevor
Entrepreneurial Designer and Stylist
Stephen Bennett
Joint Head of Policy Lab and Visual artist
Jennifer Johnston
Head of Learning at Into Film
Anra Kennedy
Consultant Director at The Audience Agency
Vikas Kumar
Founder and Director of GemArts
Jo Morrison
Director of Digital Innovation at Calvium
Dave Moutrey
Director of Culture and Creative Industries at Manchester City Council
Laura Pye
Director at National Museums Liverpool
Lara Ratnaraja
Cultural Consultant
Will Saunders
Consultant and Executive Producer
Jaswinder Singh
Director of Asian Arts Agency
Amy Smith
Global Director, Recruitment & Outreach at Framestore
Tolu Stedford
Development Producer at the Independent Film Trust and CEO of Creative Lions Productions
Maria Tanjala
Co-founder of Big Couch and FilmChain
Annie Warburton
CEO at the Goldsmiths' Company
Sharon Watson
CEO and Principal of Northern School of Contemporary Dance
Claire Whitaker
CEO of Southampton Forward
Nia Williams
Director of Learning and Engagement at National Museum Wales
Tom Philipson
Founder of YourStudio and Special Lecturer at Central Saint Martins, UAL
Malath Abbas
Game Designer and Creative Producer
Steven Berryman
President of the Chartered College of Teaching and Senior Deputy Head, Sir William Perkins's School
Laura Giles
Managing Director at Screen Cornwall
Leslie Ramos
Philanthropy Advisor and Director at The Twentieth
Anna Kiernan
Associate Professor in Creativity and Literary Culture, University of Exeter
Fiona Mozley
Novelist
Lilli Geissendorfer
Independent Consultant and Director, Theatre Green Book
Savraj Matharu
Principal Lecturer in Digital Innovation, University of Westminster
Anna Disley
Executive Director, Programmes and Impact, New Writing North
Hannah Pater
Development Director, Big Change
Linda Spurdle
Cultural Consultant and Producer
Josie Warden
Design Researcher
Tobias Revell
Design Futures Lead at Arup
Phil Holton
Senior Qualification Manager, Pearson
Sara Salsinha
Independent Designer and Researcher
Rebecca Swarray
Senior Policy Officer, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and freelance Curator, DJ and Producer
Robert Kilpatrick
CEO and Creative Director, Scottish Music Industry Association
Grace Shin
Account Manager, Clarity
Holly Lewis
Co-Founding Partner, We Made That
Jack Gamble
Director, Campaign for the Arts
Anna Kime
Freelance artist and Policy Officer, Centre for Cultural Value
Chris Hildrey
Director, Hildrey Studio
Fred Deakin
Director, Fred Deakin and Company Limited
Natasha Trotman
Equalities Designer and Researcher
Ve Dewey
Founder and CEO of Concurrency
Rachel Coldicutt
Founder and Executive Director, Careful Trouble
Kate O’Connor
Senior Consultant and Executive Chair, Animation UK
Carys Taylor
Independent Consultant
Laura Gander-Howe
Director, Culture Change Works
