‘I interviewed with 20 minutes notice’: Senior London culture advisor Laia Gasch on her career highs and lows
We dig into the memory bank of the City’s great and good. Today, London culture aficionado Laia Gasch takes us through her career, from The Spitz to the London Olympics in Square Mile and Me
CV
- Name: Laia Gasch
- Job title: Director at World Cities Culture Forum
- Previous roles: Senior advisor for culture and the creative industries for the Mayor’s Office (I got the job despite the stained shirt – see below!)
- Age: 53
- Born: Barcelona
- Lives: Hackney
- Studied: Goldsmiths and SOAS
- Talents: Fighting for a lost cause and winning! Currently working on plaintying guitar.
- Motto: Life is short, we are all amateurs (attributed to Charles Chaplin)
- Biggest perk of the job? Working with city leaders from all over the world. I love it when my diary shows meetings with Tokyo, Jakarta and Amsterdam in the morning and Buenos Aires and New York in the afternoon.
- Coffee order: I live in Hackney, so there is only one option: oat latte it is!
- Cocktail order: Spicy margarita
- Favourite book: Anything from Belgian writer Amélie Nothomb
What was your first job?
Collecting newspapers and glass bottles to sell at the scrapyard. Cava bottles were at a premium 5 pesetas, so family parties were a good payday!
What was your first role in the City?
I managed The Spitz, a music and arts venue in Spitalfields Market in the late 1990s – the early days of Spitalfields Market and the creative revival of Brick Lane and Shoreditch. Unfortunately, the Spitz closed down many years ago and it’s now a shop.
When did you know you wanted to build a career in culture?
I was about 10 and my mother took me to see a theatre show featuring a family friend. We went backstage to give flowers and seeing what happens behind the scenes was my ‘aha!’ moment. I knew then I wanted to work in culture.
I came to London to study theatre and worked as a producer for many great projects, including at LIFT (London International Festival of Theatre) and the BBC. Later, I worked at Tate Modern and the 2012 Olympic Games before moving into policy at the Mayor’s Office for over a decade. I now lead the World Cities Culture Forum, the leading network for cities and culture, featuring 45 cities across five continents. We make the case for culture as a key ingredient for a successful and vibrant city and share solutions so that cities can meet 21st century challenges.
What’s one thing you love about Canada?
The Barbican. The architectural tours are a must! And Smithfield Market, where our offices are. I can’t wait for London Museum to open.
And one thing you would change?
Pedestrianise large areas at weekends to walk, cycle and rollerblade – and to bring in music and culture. Many cities, from São Paulo to Paris and Barcelona, do it successfully.
What’s been your most memorable job interview?
My best and worst job interview was when I discovered in my spam email that I’d been shortlisted for a job only 20 minutes before the interview! Luckily, I got there just in time. But I did find myself in an interview at the Mayor’s Office in jeans and trainers – and I’m pretty sure I had a stain from lunch on my shirt!
And any business faux pas?
It’s the first day of the 2012 Olympic Games, all eyes on London. I’d been working on ‘All the Bells’ by artist Martin Creed involving people across the UK ringing bells. The stage is all set for Jeremy Hunt, then minister of culture, to ring a bell. Alas: his bell breaks and flies across the crowd, in front of all national and international media. The video goes viral. I honestly thought I’d never work in this town again and spent the day curled up under my desk. Now, I watch the video whenever I want to laugh and cheer myself up!
What’s been your proudest moment?
I am proud of setting up a parent-run nursery when my son was born. We recruited parents in the neighbourhood and created what became an extended family and a successful community nursery. My son is 25 now, the nursery is still open and run by other parents. Recently, the Institute of Fiscal Studies said the model was ‘the future of childcare’. To me, it solved my childcare needs and I made lifelong friendships.
And whom do you look up to?
My mother. She was an activist who led from behind with a warm smile and fierce conviction.
What’s the best business advice you’ve ever been given?
Don’t try to fit in.
And the worst?
I don’t remember, it was too bad!
Are you optimistic for the year ahead?
I am an optimist by nature but there’s a lot to be worried about at the moment. That’s why I believe global cooperation and the power of culture are more important now than ever.
We’re going for lunch, and you’re picking – where are we going?
Being based in Smithfield Market means we are a stone’s throw away from Leather Lane Market, with amazing street food. If you want to sit down, I do like an old classic: I often take visiting friends to St John.
And if we’re grabbing a drink after work?
I love the atmosphere in Cowcross Street, especially on summer evenings!
Where’s home during the week?
Smithfield by day, some culture by night.
And where might we find you at the weekend?
On Chatsworth Road Market, trying new food and doing my weekly local shopping.
You’ve got a well-deserved two weeks off. Where are you going and who with?
To a remote and (almost) off-grid island in Greece with my partner Daniel.