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020 8914 8966
Karren Brady is a business woman who has already packed a lifetime into her short career, starting off at Saatchi and Saatchi and then LBC radio, at 19 she joined David Sullivan’s Sports Newspapers, becoming a director at age 22. David added Birmingham City to his business empire and put Karren in charge two years later. She left City in 2009 and not long after, became CEO of West Ham United.
When the club floated on the AIM in 1997, Karren Brady became the youngest MD of any UK PLC. She still talks about the development of Birmingham City as a business, in particular its transformation from a business in administration to a Premier League club which was sold in 2009 for 82 million pounds.
As Karren said ”Persistence and determination should be the aim of any business that wants to succeed. It is important never to look back, as it is always time wasted”. ”Concentrate on the future. Do what you do best and don’t be side-tracked. Businesses should follow the example of football clubs when it comes to marketing – merchandise the brand in all its aspects and harness the support of the media to help develop and grow the company.” She admitted to having a problem with players’ wages ”how do you motivate somebody on twenty six thousand a week?” – and predicted that high costs would ultimately drive some clubs out of business.
Early Days:
Karren Brady began her career with LBC at the age of eighteen. She moved swiftly to Saatchi & Saatchi as Account Handler, joining David Sullivan’s Sports Newspapers in 1988 where she became a Director within twelve months. This meteoric rise prepared her for her new role as the first woman of football.
She has attracted much media attention as the highest placed woman in football and was the subject of an hour long BBC 1 documentary entitled ‘Inside Story – The Real Life Manageress’. She has also hosted her own TV show – ‘The Brady Bunch’- and written four books – ‘Brady Plays the Blues’, ‘United’, ‘Trophy Wives’ and Playing to Win – 10 Steps To Achieving Your Goals
Karren Brady made constructive changes at Birmingham City and her community projects such as the Kids a Quid scheme, Family Stand and Community Classroom have been emulated and copied elsewhere. She is married to Fulham FC footballer and Canada World Cup striker Paul Peschisolido and has two children.
Karren is a non-executive director of Channel 4, Mothercare Plc, Sport England, and Chairman of Kerrang!
In October 2007, Karren Brady Business women was named Midland’s Business Woman of the Year. This was the year she appeared as a contestant on Comic Relief Does The Apprentice. In 2009 she then replaced Margaret Mountford in series six as Lord Sugar’s new assistant’
Also in 2009, Karren was appointed to the England 2018 World Cup bid board as a non-executive director. Karren also took over from Margaret Mountford as an adviser to Lord Sugar on The Apprentice.
In 2010, Karren was appointed Vice-Chairman of West Ham F.C.
December 2013 saw Karren awarded a CBE for services to women in business and entrepreneurship; the following August, she was elevated to the House of Lords by the Prime Minister, taking the title Baroness Karren Brady of Knightsbridge CBE.
Topic Areas
- Change Management
- Leadership
- Sport & Business
- Business
- Entrepreneurship
- Management
- Women in Business
In 2013 Karren published Strong Women
