Simon Woolley left school at 16 without any A levels, and moved to London at 19, where he ended up in sales. At 26, he became a student, eventually ending up with a masters in Hispanic literature. It was during a visit to South America that he saw for himself the value in organised activism. Returning to England, he founded Operation Black Vote at the age of 28. He was knighted for his services to race equality in 2019 and was made a life peer in October of that year.