Lola Young received an OBE in 2001, and went on to become an independent crossbench member of the House of Lords in 2004, where she is actively involved in legislation and campaigns on criminal and social justice issues such as children in state care, modern slavery and women and girls at risk. 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, Lola promotes ethical, sustainable fashion and is the founding chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion. She is currently a commissioner at Historic England and has chaired the Orange Prize for Literature, the Caine Prize for African Literature, judged the Art Fund Prize, the Observer Ethical Awards, and is the 2017 chair of the Man Booker Prize judging panel. Lola was a 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, she has also been a board member of the South Bank Centre, the Royal National Theatre, and The National Archives in London, UK. She holds honorary doctorates from Middlesex University, University of the Arts London, and Sussex University, UK.