About
Lara is a specialises in diversity, innovation, leadership, collaboration, stakeholder management, advocacy, thought leadership and cultural policy development and 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 works or has worked with the University of Birmingham, Coventry University, Birmingham City University STEAMhouse and University of Salford delivering and developing projects on diversity, digital engagement and research collaborations between arts, HEIs and SMEs. Other consultancy clients include Jerwood Arts, Imagineer, The Big Draw, Film Hub and West Midlands Screen Bureau.
Lara is well respected as a key influencer in the development of sector policy, a sought after speaker and strategic thinker on policy especially in diversity
She is on the Board of Derby Theatres and Vivid Projects and the Advisory Groups for Coventry Biennial and SHOUT Festival. She is on the Midlands Area Council for Arts Council England, the Equality Monitoring Group for Arts Council Wales, and is a Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre Industry Champion.
Press
Read
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Always on board, never bored Stan's Cafe
Is It 'BAMEover' for Grouping All Ethnic Minorities Together? Newsweek (2020)
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Lara Ratnaraja and Helga Henry on diversity in the cultural sector, New Art West Midlands
Awkward Bastards 2: alternative models of power, Disability Arts Online (2017)
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Watch
DASH Awkward Bastards 2015
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Listen
Podcast: Lara Ratnaraja – championing diverse leadership