Baroness Lola Young
Independent member | House of Lords
After acting in theatre and television, Lola Young became an arts administrator, before becoming professor of Cultural Studies at Middlesex University as well as a writer, cultural critic, public speaker and broadcaster. Appointed as Head of Culture at the Greater London Authority (2002), Baroness Young has also sat on the Boards of the South Bank Centre, the Royal National Theatre, and The National Archives, and is currently a Commissioner at Historic England. She has Chaired the Orange Prize for Literature, the Caine Prize for African Literature, and been a judge on the Art Fund Prize and The Observer newspaper Ethical Awards.
Having received an OBE in 2001, Baroness Young went on to become an independent Crossbench member of the House of Lords in 2004, where she is actively involved in legislation and other areas of parliamentary life.
As an Ambassador for Cotton Made in Africa, the Ethical Fashion Forum and MADE-BY, and a former member of the Board of Aid by Trade, Baroness Young promotes ethical, sustainable fashion and is the founding Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion. In parliament, she also campaigns on criminal and social justice issues such as children in state care, modern slavery and women and girls at risk. Baroness Young holds honorary doctorates from Middlesex University, the University of the Arts London, and Sussex University and is the 2017 Chair of the Man Booker Prize judging panel.
