Operation Black Vote Founder Baron Simon Woolley is a crossbench peer and the first black man to head an Oxbridge college – having long used his voice to speak out against issues of inequality and discrimination. 

Simon founded Operation Black Vote (OBV), the internationally renowned campaigning NGO, in 1996 and served as its director until 2021. His cross-party and cross-sector work with the organisation has seen the number of MPs from black and minority ethnic backgrounds rise from 4 to 65 over the past two decades.

In 2017, OBV launched The Colour of Power, the most in-depth look at the racial make-up of Britain’s top jobs across 28 sectors that dominate British society.

Simon became Principal of Homerton College at the University of Cambridge in October 2021. Describing the appointment as a “great honour”, he said: “[Homerton College’s] values of inclusion, dynamism and integrity, along with its vision to be a beacon of hope and academic excellence, make this a must-have role.” 

Until July 2020, he was Chair of the government’s Race Disparity Unit’s advisory group, having been appointed by former PM Theresa May. The unit was set up following the publication of the Race Disparity Audit, which uncovered persistent race inequalities that impacted thousands of black, Asian, and other ethnic groups’ individuals. 

Simon has shared his story of being racially profiled by the police and remains a committed anti-racism campaigner. He is a member of the Diversity Progress Council and acted as government adviser on the Baroness Ruby McGregor review into race equality and employment and worked on the David Lammy review into racial injustice in the criminal justice system. He is also commissioner for race on the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

In 2023, Simon joined forces with influential leaders, including John Lewis Partnership Chair Dame Sharon White, to spearhead a campaign on the back of NHS Blood and Transplant data showing just 1 per cent of active blood donors in England are black. More are needed to treat conditions such as sickle cell.

His memoir, Soar: My Journey from Council Estate to House of Lords, was published in April 2022.