Karren Brady

The Right Honourable
The Baroness Brady
CBE

As guest speaker at the University of Wolverhampton, March 2008.
Member of the House of Lords
Assumed office
22 September 2014
Personal details
Born Karren Rita Brady[1]
(1969-04-04) 4 April 1969[2]
Edmonton, London, United Kingdom
Nationality British
Political party Conservative
Spouse(s) Paul Peschisolido (m. 1995)
Children 2
Residence Knowle, near Solihull, United Kingdom
Occupation Businesswoman, journalist, politician, broadcaster, media personality, author, novelist
Known for Vice-chairman of West Ham United
Religion Roman Catholicism[3]
Website www.karrenbrady.com

Karren Rita Brady, Baroness Brady, CBE (born 4 April 1969) is an English sporting executive, politician, television personality, newspaper columnist, author and novelist. She is the former managing director of Birmingham City F.C. and current vice-chairman of West Ham United F.C.. She is featured in the BBC One series The Apprentice as an aide to Lord Sugar. She was the Small Business Ambassador to the UK Government under Prime Minister David Cameron.

She is known as "The First Lady of Football".[4] Her appointment with Birmingham City began in March 1993, when she was 23. In 2002 she became the first woman to hold such a post in the top flight of English football when the team was promoted. She oversaw the company's flotation in 1997,[5] thus becoming the youngest managing director of a UK plc.[6] She left in 2009 when her employers David Sullivan and David Gold sold the club for £81.5 million.[7] In January 2010 she was appointed vice-chairman of West Ham United following Sullivan and Gold's purchasing of the club.[8]

Brady is a regular writer for the Woman & Home magazine and The Sun. She has also published four books including two novels.

On 22 September 2014, Brady was elevated to the House of Lords as a Conservative life peer, taking the title Baroness Brady.

Early life

Brady was brought up in Edmonton, London,[9] and the family house was near to the Tottenham Hotspur football ground.[10] Her Irish father, Terry Brady, had made his fortune in printing and property development. Her mother, Rita,[11] is Italian,[9][10] and she has an older brother, Darren.[2] She attended Salcombe Preparatory School in Southgate until she was 11, followed by Poles Convent, a boarding school in Ware, Hertfordshire[12] and Aldenham School, Elstree, a boys' school which accepted girls in the sixth form,[13] where she gained four A-levels.[14]

Career

Early career and Birmingham City

Brady’s career began as a trainee at the advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi[15][16] having been rejected for a place on a journalism course at Harlow College.[17] A year later, on joining the London Broadcasting Company [16] (LBC) as an advertising account executive, she was able to secure the advertising business of one of her father's largest clients, David Sullivan.[18] Sullivan spent more than £2,000,000 on advertising in six months, on condition that Brady managed the account.[19]

Sullivan offered her a job with Sport Newspapers,[20] and she became one of his directors at the age of 20. While in Sullivan's employ, Brady spotted an advert in the Financial Times for the sale of Birmingham City F.C. when the club was in receivership[21] and persuaded Sullivan to buy it and let her run it. When Sullivan commented that she would have to be twice as good as a man to do that, Brady replied quickly: “Well that’s not difficult.”[22] Sullivan later commented that he agreed to the deal because such a young, female director would attract publicity to the club, and also because Brady was a “sacker”.[19] Brady was 23 when she started work as managing director of Birmingham City F.C. in March 1993.[19][23] She encountered sexism in the role. The first time she got on the team bus, a player said "I can see your tits from here". Brady replied “When I sell you to Crewe, you won't be able to see them from there will you?" The player was promptly sold.[24]

In 2008, Sullivan and Brady were arrested by City of London Police, interviewed and released on bail as part of the investigation into the 2006 allegations of corruption in English football, which also involved similar actions against players and officials from other clubs; club chairman David Gold was interviewed as a witness.[25] The club stated that no charges had been brought and that Brady denied any wrongdoing. The investigation involved tax and national insurance offences relating to two players. Gold said that it was "utterly wrong that this highly professional businesswoman has been made a victim in a witch-hunt against football".[26] In August 2009 it was confirmed that no further action would be taken.[27] She left Birmingham City two months later after Sullivan and Gold sold the club to Carson Yeung for £81,500,000.[28] The same month she was appointed as a non-executive director to the England 2018 World Cup bid advisory board.[29]

West Ham United

In January 2010, she was appointed Vice-Chairman of West Ham United by new Joint-Chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold. Writing in her newspaper column Brady said "To West Ham fans I'll make a single pledge – while we are on the board, we will hang in the Tower of London before your club again goes through the financial turmoil which so nearly brought it down". Brady said she liked the idea of changing the club's name to West Ham Olympic.[30] David Gold subsequently said that the club shall always be West Ham United under his chairmanship but "What you might do is call the stadium West Ham Olympic stadium. I can make a case for that."[31] Brady was responsible for negotiating a move on behalf of West Ham United from their Boleyn Ground to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, east London. Initially the intention was for West Ham to take ownership of the stadium, this bid collapsing in October 2011 following a legal delay caused by a rival bid by Tottenham Hotspur.[32] Investigators working on behalf of Tottenham were subsequently charged with fraud for obtaining illegally the private telephone records of Brady.[33] In December 2012, West Ham were announced as the highest ranked bidder to become the anchor concessionaire and tenant of the Olympic Stadium. Of the move Brady said "We are ambitious for our great club and aim to set the benchmark for visiting away and neutral supporters from across the globe to come and enjoy the iconic Stadium and be part of our Premier League club experience".[34]

West Ham United were named as anchor concessionaires for the Olympic Stadium on 23 March 2013.[35] At a press conference to mark the event with Mayor of London Boris Johnson, Brady said:”'I’m delighted that we have been confirmed today as the anchor concessionaire for the Olympic Stadium. I commend my two Chairmen for their passion and commitment. I am delighted this has been rewarded now that their ambition to see the Club they love enjoy a bright future at the iconic Olympic Stadium has been realised.”[36] In July 2013, Brady gave evidence before a House of Lords committee, where she said the club has debts of £70m that would need to be paid before the proposed move to the Olympic Stadium in 2016.[37] Following the move to the Olympic Stadium, some supporters who wanted to stay at Upton Park targeted verbal abuse towards Brady during crowd disturbances during West Ham's home 2-4 defeat to Watford on 10 September 2016.[38] In October 2016, Brady received further criticism after describing West Ham's move to the London Stadium as "a chance to rebrand the club".[39]

Other business involvement

Brady has also been the chairman of Bauer's Kerrang!, and had a seat on the board of Sport England.[40] She was a non-executive director of Channel 4 television[40] but resigned to take a position at Syco, the company jointly owned by Simon Cowell and Sony. In September 2010 she joined the board of Arcadia with Sir Philip Green, resigning from a non-executive position with Mothercare where she had been for seven years. In 2012, with BHS, she launched her own range of women's business attire with the money raised going to charity.[41] She is an Ambassador for Barclays Lifeskills, which aims to offer young people workplace experience.[42] She is also the Patron of the Life After Stroke Awards and an Ambassador for Well Being for Women.

Championing women in business

Brady has long been renowned for championing the cause of women in business.[43] She has repeatedly called upon her fellow female professionals to help those trying to make their way in the business world. She explained in this Guardian column: “Any board executive can forget just how many people helped them get where they are. Those women who have got to the top need actively to ensure there is a pipeline of younger women, whether by networking or mentoring, who in turn are encouraging those below them. Women in the boardroom must not forget how many challenges and difficulties we have overcome, and we should share our coping strategies. “It is critical to create opportunities to identify talented women in business, then support them to develop their confidence to aim for the boardroom. We need to look outside the corporate mainstream, at female entrepreneurs and self-employed businesswomen, who can inject different insights and diversity to any board.”[44] Similarly, Brady famously told the Independent: "If you don't have a woman on your board you should write to your shareholders and explain why. Tell us how many women you've interviewed and what skills they've been lacking, because that will give us some basis to teach the new generation of women in business."[45]

Brady was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to entrepreneurship and women in business.[46]

The Apprentice

Main article: The Apprentice

In March 2007, Brady appeared as a celebrity contestant on Comic Relief Does The Apprentice and was team leader for the girls' team, raising more than £750,000 for Comic Relief. In June 2008, Brady was a guest interviewer in series four of The Apprentice – interviewing the final five. After the show, it was revealed that Brady had fulfilled a promise she made to Lord Alan Sugar on screen, and offered a job to Claire Young, who finished as runner-up in the series, after being impressed by her interview. In 2009 she interviewed candidates again in The Apprentice Season 5, as seen on BBC 1.[47] On 30 August 2009, she was revealed as Sugar's new assistant in the sixth series of The Apprentice,[48] replacing Margaret Mountford, who had left the series (and who returned in series 6, 7, 8 and 9 as a guest interviewer, the same role that Brady had fulfilled in her first appearance in the main UK apprentice series).

Political career

Brady hinted that she would be interested in a career in politics in the future during an interview with the Daily Telegraph in March 2013.[49] In September that year it was reported that she would be giving an introductory speech to Chancellor George Osborne at the Conservative Party Conference.[50] In an interview with the Daily Telegraph Margot James MP said: "I think she'd be a great asset. I have a great respect for her success in business.". The feature also suggested that Brady should be made a peer to bring more women into politics and to resolve the UK’s financial problems. ‘But Baroness Brady would be able to make an invaluable contribution to both business and politics. David Cameron should give her a peerage without delay - and she should accept it.’[51] On 30 September 2013 Brady addressed the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester on the subject of small businesses and supporting the policies of Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne. Prime Minister, David Cameron announced her appointment as the government's Small Business Ambassador.[52]

On 8 August 2014, it was reported that Brady would become a Conservative life peer in the House of Lords.[53] On 22 September 2014 she was created Baroness Brady, of Knightsbridge in the City of Westminster.[54]

Personal life

In 1995 Brady married Canadian footballer Paul Peschisolido, who played for Birmingham City for two seasons, 1992–93 and 1993–94. In March 1996, she had her first child, a girl named Sophia. She had around six weeks off work after the birth of her second child, a boy named Paolo.[19] Brady lives in the village of Knowle in the West Midlands with her husband and children. They also have a property in the Knightsbridge area of London[55] and a holiday home in Canada.[56]

In 2006, Brady underwent a full-body MRI scan as part of a medical screen, which unexpectedly discovered a potentially fatal cerebral aneurysm.[57] In February 2006, at the age of 36, at very short notice, she underwent neurosurgery to prevent the aneurysm from rupturing, and was back at work about one month later, fully recovered.[19][58]

Awards

References

  1. ↑ Sleeman, Elizabeth, ed. (2001). International Who's Who of Women 2002 (3rd ed.). London: Europa Publications. p. 74. ISBN 1-85743-122-7. OCLC 469968745.
  2. 1 2 Sawyer, Miranda (5 November 2006). "A Brum Deal". The Observer. London. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  3. ↑ "Karren Brady: 'Emotion is not part of my make-up'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "First lady of football Karren Brady launches fashion line". www.birminghammail.co.uk. 7 October 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  5. ↑ John Plunkett. "Board post for Karren Brady - Media - The Guardian". the Guardian. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  6. ↑ "Karren Brady plans a pitch battle for small business - Telegraph". Telegraph.co.uk. 6 April 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  7. ↑ "David Gold denies he was wrong to sell struggling Birmingham". Daily Mail. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  8. ↑ "West Ham United statement". www.whufc.com. 19 January 2010. Archived from the original on 21 January 2010. Retrieved 2 November 2010.
  9. 1 2 Cavendish, Lucy (14 June 2008). "A Dame of two halves". Irish Independent. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  10. 1 2 Viner, Brian (27 December 2000). "Brady's injection of sense and sensibility". The Independent. London. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  11. ↑ Interview by Sarah Ewing (13 August 2011). "Karren Brady | Life and style". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-04-05.
  12. ↑ Greenwood, Lynne (26 August 2007). "Time and Place: Karren Brady". The Sunday Times. London. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  13. ↑ Groskop, Viv (28 January 2008). "'I don't see my future in football'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
  14. ↑ Glancy, J., Griffiths, S. (1 April 2012). "Learn it like Beckham". Sunday Times – via Proquest (subscription required) . News International.
  15. ↑ Bill Muirhead. "My first boss: businesswoman Karren Brady and advertising executive Bill Muirhead". http://www.theguardian.com/. External link in |website= (help)
  16. 1 2 "Karren Brady Biography". http://www.karrenbrady.com/. Karren Brady. External link in |website= (help)
  17. ↑ "Karren Brady: I've been selfish for too long". Daily Mail. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  18. ↑ "Profile: David Sullivan". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 "Desert Island Discs with Karren Brady". Desert Island Discs. 29 December 2007. BBC. Radio 4.
  20. ↑ "Profile – Karren Brady". www.scotsman.com. 15 May 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
  21. ↑ Goodbody, John (7 November 1992). "Receivers put football club up for sale" (reprint). The Times. NewsBank. Retrieved 4 January 2008.
  22. ↑ Karren Brady scores with a peerage. The room was packed, the speaker was brilliant and the next day’s news (albeit leaked) deserved a soccer-size round of applause. Shropshire Star, Saturday, 28 February 2015.
  23. ↑ "Sullivan takes control" (reprint). The Times. NewsBank. 6 March 1993. Retrieved 4 January 2008.
  24. ↑ "Karren Brady - that's what a real feminist looks like". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
  25. ↑ Stuart James (24 July 2008). "Gold faces further questioning in corruption investigation". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
  26. ↑ "Brady denies involvement in fraud". BBC News. 11 February 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2009.
  27. ↑ "David Sullivan and Karren Brady will not face charges after tax investigation". The Guardian. London. 7 August 2009. Retrieved 7 August 2009.
  28. ↑ "David Gold denies he was wrong to sell struggling Birmingham to Carson Yeung". Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  29. ↑ "Brady takes England 2018 bid role". BBC News. 13 October 2009. Retrieved 7 May 2010.
  30. ↑ "Karren Brady proposes Hammers be renamed West Ham Olympic". The Guardian. London. 23 January 2010. Retrieved 23 January 2010.
  31. ↑ "GOLD SEEKS 'QUALITY' ADDITION". sportinglife.com. Retrieved 2 November 2010.
  32. ↑ "West Ham Olympic deal collapses". www.cnplus.co.uk. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  33. ↑ Kelso, Paul (14 November 2012). "Spurs investigators charged with fraud following snooping claims from West Ham board in Olympic Stadium battle". www.telegraph.co.uk. London. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  34. ↑ "West Ham United statement". www.whufc.com. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  35. ↑ "Olympic Stadium's future secured in historic deal between Mayor's Legacy Corporation, Newham Council and West Ham United Football Club". Archived from the original on 27 September 2013.
  36. ↑ Peach, Simon (22 March 2013). "West Ham unveil £150m plans to transform Olympic Stadium into new 54,000-capacity home after signing deal to move in by 2016". Daily Mail. London.
  37. ↑ "West Ham United must pay £70m bank debt before Olympic Stadium move - Football - theguardian.com". the Guardian. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  38. ↑ "Karren Brady verbally abused by West Ham fans and demands police presence at London Stadium". Daily Telegraph. 14 September 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  39. ↑ "West Ham United news: Club had 'no culture' and needed 'rebrand' says Karren Brady – fans react: 'Soul has been sold'". www.talksport.com. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  40. 1 2 "Karren Brady: 'I don't invest in companies that don't have women on their board' - Telegraph". Telegraph.co.uk. 19 March 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  41. ↑ Styles, Ruth (1 October 2012). "Karren Brady is already Britain's best known businesswoman... Now the Apprentice star has designs on your working wardrobe". London: Mail Online. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
  42. ↑ "Karren Brady Launches Barclays LifeSkills Programme".
  43. ↑ "West Ham's Karren Brady awarded CBE by Prince William at Buckingham Palace - Football - Sport.net". Sport.Net. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  44. ↑ "Every woman in the boardroom must pull others up behind her".
  45. ↑ Philby, Charlotte (5 May 2013). "Karren Brady: 'If you don't have a woman on your board, write to your shareholders and explain why'". The Independent. London.
  46. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 60728. p. 8. 31 December 2013.
  47. ↑ "Business – Media Profile". Karren Brady's official website. Archived from the original on 10 May 2010. Retrieved 2 November 2010.
  48. ↑ "Karren Brady hired for The Apprentice". BBC News. 30 August 2009.
  49. ↑ Odone, Cristina (23 June 2013). "Karren Brady: 'I'd never accept a safe seat'". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  50. ↑ "Karren Brady is an apprentice in politics".
  51. ↑ Newman, Cathy (18 September 2013). "Can Karren Brady solve the Tories' women problems?". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  52. ↑ Armitstead, Louise (30 September 2013). "Karren Brady named Government's Small Business Ambassador". London: Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  53. ↑ "BBC News - Karren Brady and Sir Stuart Rose among new life peers". BBC News. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  54. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 60999. p. 18742. 26 September 2014.
  55. ↑ Lydia Slater (2011-05-05). "The world is not enough for Karren Brady – ES Magazine – Life & Style – London Evening Standard". Standard.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-04-05.
  56. ↑ Ewing, Sarah (2 February 2009). "Karren Brady: 'I didn't have a holiday for 13 years'". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  57. ↑ Brady, Karren (20 April 2006). "'I was terrified that I would die any minute'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  58. ↑ "Football MD out of intensive care". BBC News. 5 February 2006. Retrieved 11 February 2009.
  59. ↑ Smith, Lisa (10 November 2006). "Brady's the best of the bunch!". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  60. 1 2 "Revitalise Women of the Year named".
  61. ↑ "Past Winners and Finalists". everywoman.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  62. ↑ "100 most powerful women in Britain: Business, Academia and Politics". The Sunday Telegraph. London. 23 November 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  63. ↑ "London's 1000 most influential people 2010: Sport". Evening Standard. 15 November 2010. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  64. ↑ Bradley, Paul (16 December 2010). "Karren Brady awarded honorary degree from University of Birmingham". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  65. ↑ "The Inspiration Awards Winners 2011". Breakthrough Breast Cancer. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  66. ↑ "Vice-Chairman scoops top award". www.whufc.com. London. 9 November 2012.
  67. ↑ "The Power List 2013". BBC. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  68. ↑ "Karren Brady 'proud' to receive CBE for services to women". BBC News. 30 December 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  69. ↑ "Sports Administrators". www.debretts.com. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  70. ↑ "50 most influential women in British sport". The Guardian. 8 March 2014. Retrieved 13 March 2014.
  71. ↑ "BBC: Karren Brady and Sir Stuart Rose among new life peers". 8 August 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
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