took up the appointment in succession to Professor Geoffrey Ward. He is the first black man to be head of an Oxbridge college. Awards and honours Woolley has been included in the Powerlist every year since 2012. He was selected as one of the Evening Standards Most Influential People in 2010. In 2010 and 2011 he was selected as one of The Daily Telegraphs 100 Most Influential People. In 2012 he was awarded an honorary doctorate for his equality efforts from the University of Westminster. He was made an Honorary fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford in 2022. Woolley was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 2019 Birthday Honours for his services to race equality, thus becoming Sir Simon Woolley. He said he had to think hard about accepting the honour: "Many black or minority ethnic individuals have to think hard about whether to take an award or not, particularly those offered an award with empire in its title ... It's a difficult choice and whatever decision they make I fully support them. In the case of the knighthood, I didn't have to make that exact call. It has more to do with medieval times and the 13th century than empire." Woolley was nominated for a life peerage to sit as a Crossbencher in the House of Lords by Prime Minister Theresa May in her 2019 Resignation Honours List. He was created Baron Woolley of Woodford, of Woodford in the London Borough of Redbridge, on 14 October 2019. He has sat on the Lords Youth Unemployment Committee from 28 January 2021 until 16 November 2021. References 1961 births Living people Alumni of Queen Mary University of London Alumni of the University of London Black British politicians Crossbench life peers English democracy activists Knights Bachelor Life peers created by Elizabeth II