Lara is Vice President of the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH). She is a social entrepreneur who originally trained as a journalist. She has a 25-year career in social housing including 8 years as CEO of Odu-Dua Housing Association. Lara was the founding Chair of BMENational, the collective of BME housing associations. Lara originated the idea of and sourced funding for https://www.housing-rights website, which provides housing advice for migrants and their advisers.

She was a Non-Executive Director of Southern Housing Group, is currently a senior Olmec Black on Board associate, is on the board of Housing 21 and Chair of Bradford homelessness charity, Hope Housing. Lara is an alumni of Loughborough University, the LSE and Henley Management College. She is a passionate campaigner for diversity at executive and non-executive levels, is developing an affordable housing company and runs a training company for aspiring board members.