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
Amir Hussain
Chief Executive at Yeme Architects
Ben Evans
Director at London Design Festival
Inua Ellams
Poet, Playwright, Performer, Graphic Artist and Designer
Loyd Grossman
Chairman of The Royal Parks
Michaela Greene
Development and Communications Director at Roundhouse
Syima Aslam
Director at Bradford Literature Festival
Sarah Ellis
Director of Digital Development at Royal Shakespeare Company
Tom Chalmers
Founder and Managing Director at Legend Times Group
Tony Heaton
Freelance Sculptor and Performance Artist
Sade Banks
Founder and CEO of Sour Lemons
Natalie Griffith
Brand & Marketing Director of Unit 2 Games
Mandy Barker
Founder of Sail Creative
Lucy Bayliss
Head of Creative Programmes at DanceEast
Charlotte Beevor
Entrepreneurial Designer and Stylist
Kevin Beimers
Director of Italic Pig
Stephen Bennett
Joint Head of Policy Lab and Visual artist
Sarah Bird
Director of Wild Rumpus
Wolfgang Buttress
Artist
Ben Carlin
Co-Founder of Megaverse and Immerse Sheffield
Phil Critchlow
Founder and CEO of TBI Media
Stephanie Edwards
Co-Founder of Urban Symbiotics
Tom Adeyoola
Entrepreneur
Alia Alzougbi
Artist, Educator and Cultural Producer
Jennifer Johnston
Head of Learning at Into Film
Reiko Kaneko
Ceramicist, Designer and Educator
Kurban Kassam
Freelance Film Producer
Noel Kelly
Chief Executive Officer and Director at Visual Artists Ireland
Anra Kennedy
Content and Partnerships Director at Culture24
Nick Keynes
Director at Tileyard Studios
Vikas Kumar
Founder and Director of GemArts
Hope Dickson Leach
Writer and Director
Anna Lowe
Co-founder and Director of Partnerships at Smartify
Amanda Maxwell
Community Manager and board member of shesaid.so
Vaughn McKenzie
CEO of JAAK
Fiona McLaughlin
Co-founding Director at Taunt Studios
Conor Mitchell
Founder and Artistic Director of The Belfast Ensemble
Jo Morrison
Director of Digital Innovation at Calvium
Helen Mort
Author
Liz Mosley
Self-employed Graphic Designer
Dave Moutrey
Director and CEO at HOME
Kobi Onyame
Recording artist, Producer and Songwriter
Rachel O’Riordan
Artistic Director of the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre
Laura Pye
Director at National Museums Liverpool
Lara Ratnaraja
Cultural Consultant
Indhu Rubasingham
Artistic Director at Kiln Theatre
Will Saunders
Consultant and Executive Producer
Michelle Adia Scarlett
Community Immersive Producer
Nasima Siddiqui
Co-Founder at WyndyMilla
Jaswinder Singh
Director of Asian Arts Agency
Amy Smith
Head of Talent at Framestore
Nick Starr
Co-Founder at Bridge Theatre
Tolu Stedford
Development Producer at the Independent Film Trust and CEO of Creative Lions Productions
Phil Stuart
Founder and Creative Director of PRELOADED
Maria Tanjala
Co-founder of Big Couch and FilmChain
Nia Thomas
Managing Director at Boom Cymru
Yehrin Tong
Illustrator
Polly Tootal
Freelance Photographer
Zing Tsjeng
Freelance Journalist
Sandeep Virdee
Artistic Director and Founder Trustee at Darbar Arts Culture Heritage Trust
Annie Warburton
Chief Executive at Cockpit Arts
Sharon Watson
CEO and Principal of Northern School of Contemporary Dance
Claire Whitaker
Bid Director, Southampton City of Culture 2025
Nia Williams
Director of Learning and Engagement at National Museum Wales
Annie Lydford
Annie is Managing Director at Nevill Holt Opera
