For People, for Place, with Purpose

Lara Ratnaraja is a unique consultancy founded on creating meaningful place-based change.

Her work encompasses developing and delivering projects, strategy and policy on impact, place-based trends, organisational and cultural change, leadership, diversity, inclusion, cross-sector collaborations and digital for organisations, companies, higher education, the third sector, the private sector and the public sector.

CONNECT - COLLABORATE - CHANGE

About Lara

Led by Lara Ratnaraja, the company was founded in 2011 and works nationally and internationally, to develop and deliver projects on place-based trends, inclusive growth, audience and consumer behaviours, diverse leadership, and brokering cross-sector partnerships across the public, private and third sector.

The company works with placed-based organisations such as local authorities, Comined Authorities and Universities on policy and projects as well as directly with organisations to find new purpose, redefine themselves and grow in unexpected and sustainable ways.

Lara's work enables place-based growth through providing unique solutions to grow and thrive by enabling inclusive and diverse workforces, audiences and consumers; through strategy, research and policy development and direct delivery of projects and by catalysing digital forms of content and engagement

Uniquely she operates across the industry, academia and the public sector, pivoting to ensure relevance in a time of global change.

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My work

OUR NEW PLACE

Cultural Strategies

From the North East to the South West, Lara has worked on many cultural strategies for local authorities, Combined Authorities and Cultural Partnerships. Her unique perspectives are sought by many consultancies to provide fresh thinking and insight into inclusive cultural particpation and strategy development

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Testimonials

Lara Ratnaraja is a brilliant producer, facilitator, mentor and all round creative brain, who has helped MAC pioneer ‘Girls that Geek’ our dedicated programme of bringing together technology and teen women in a safe and inspirational space. It is a hugely popular programme, attributed largely to Lara’s ability to ensure everyone taking part be they, speakers, artists or audience members feel a sense of equality, camaraderie and empowerment.

Deborah Kermode

Chief Executive & Artistic Director
Midlands Arts Centre

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Blog

Recent Posts

The Co-opting of Collaboration: Deconstructing Value, Power and Agency in Cultural Collaboration and Critique

An edit of a Keynote I gave for the Centre for Research in Art, Architecture & Design @ Birmingham City University conference: Join: Crafting Conversations with Communities, July 1st 2026. I re-read my abstract last week. This paper examines agency, power and value within collaborative and community-based cultural practice through a decolonial lens. I wanted to question the assumed mutual benefits and equivalence of collaboration at a time when debates around elitism, diver