Laia Gasch is a creative activist who strongly believes in the power of creative expression as a means to shaping one’s potential. Laia has devised and lead major national and international projects which engaged thousands of people with the creative arts, in particular young people. She developed Blast into the BBC’s award-winning youth creativity portal and established Blast Young Reporters, the largest ever BBC mentoring scheme. She established a number of strategic partnerships between the BBC and arts organisations including the Royal Opera House, the Arts Council and the Prince’s Trust and raised an unprecedented £1m.
As Creative Director for the South Bank and Bankside Cultural Quarter, Laia led a large partnership between Tate Modern, Southbank Centre, National Theatre and 20 other leading arts organisations. She devised and led strategic intervention programmes including Street Genius, where young people became curators and producers at high profile venues across London, a model which is being adopted amongst arts organisations nationally.