Karren Brady facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Baroness Brady
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| Born |
Karren Rita Brady
4 April 1969 Edmonton, London, England
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| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) |
Paul Peschisolido
(m. 1995) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Commander of the Order of the British Empire Life Peerage |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal |
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| Assumed office 22 September 2014 Life peerage |
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Karren Rita Brady, Baroness Brady, CBE (born 4 April 1969) is a famous British business leader and TV star. She used to be the boss of Birmingham City F.C. and is now the vice-chairman of West Ham United F.C.. Many people know her as an assistant to Alan Sugar on the TV show The Apprentice.
Karren Brady is also a member of the House of Lords, which is part of the UK Parliament. She has also worked as a Small Business Ambassador for the UK government.
She became the managing director of Birmingham City in March 1993 when she was just 23 years old. In 2002, she made history as the first woman to hold such a high position in a top English football club. She helped the company become a public limited company (plc) in 1997, making her the youngest managing director of a UK plc. She left Birmingham City in 2009. In 2010, she became the vice-chairwoman of West Ham United. Karren Brady also writes for Woman & Home magazine and The Sun. She has written four books, including her inspiring book Strong Woman, which was a bestseller. In 2014, she became a Baroness in the House of Lords.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Karren Brady grew up in Edmonton, London. Her family home was close to the Tottenham Hotspur football stadium. Her father, Terry Brady, was from Ireland and worked in printing and property. Her mother, Rita, is Italian. Karren has an older brother named Darren.
She went to Salcombe Preparatory School until she was 11. Then she attended Poles Convent, a boarding school, and later Aldenham School. She earned four A-levels, which are advanced school qualifications in the UK.
Her Business Career
Starting Out in Business
Karren Brady began her career at an advertising agency called Saatchi & Saatchi. She decided not to go to university because she wanted to start working and make a difference right away. A year later, she joined the London Broadcasting Company (LBC) as an advertising executive. She worked with David Sullivan, who owned Daily Sport and Sunday Sport. Sullivan was so impressed with her work that he offered her a job.
At just 20 years old, Karren became one of David Sullivan's directors at Sport Newspapers. While working for him, she saw an advertisement for the sale of Birmingham City F.C., which was in financial trouble. She convinced Sullivan to buy the club and let her manage it. When Sullivan said she would need to be twice as good as a man, she quickly replied, "Well that's not difficult." She started as managing director of Birmingham City F.C. in March 1993, at the age of 23.
She left Birmingham City in 2009 when Sullivan and Gold sold the club. That same month, she joined the advisory board for England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
Leading West Ham United
In January 2010, Karren Brady became the vice-chairman of West Ham United F.C. when David Sullivan and David Gold bought the club. She promised fans that the club would not face financial problems again.
Karren Brady was key in moving West Ham United from their old home, the Boleyn Ground, to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford. This move was a big project. In December 2012, West Ham was chosen to be the main tenant of the Olympic Stadium. The club officially moved to the stadium, now called London Stadium, in the summer of 2016. This move greatly increased the club's seating capacity from 35,000 to 57,000 seats. This made West Ham United have the third-largest home attendance in the Premier League.
Other Business Roles
Karren Brady has held many important roles in business. She was the chairman of Bauer's Kerrang! and was on the board of Sport England. She was also a non-executive director for Channel 4 television. She later joined the board of Taveta Investments Ltd. with Sir Philip Green.
She is an ambassador for Barclays Life skills, a program that helps young people gain work experience. She also supports the Life After Stroke Awards and is an ambassador for Well Being for Women.
Helping Women in Business
Karren Brady is well-known for supporting women in the business world. She believes that women who have achieved success should help other women trying to make their way. She encourages successful women to mentor and support younger women.
She also believes it's important to find talented women and help them become confident enough to aim for top leadership roles. She suggests looking beyond traditional corporate jobs to find female entrepreneurs who can bring new ideas to companies.
On TV: The Apprentice
In 2007, Karren Brady appeared on Comic Relief Does The Apprentice as a celebrity contestant. She led the girls' team and helped raise over £750,000 for Comic Relief.
In 2008 and 2009, she was a guest interviewer on The Apprentice, where she interviewed the final candidates. She was so impressed by Claire Young, who was a runner-up, that she offered her a job. In 2009, Karren Brady became Alan Sugar's new assistant on the show, replacing Margaret Mountford.
In Politics
In 2013, Karren Brady hinted that she might be interested in a career in politics. Many people thought she would be a great addition to the government. In September 2013, she spoke at the Conservative Party Conference about small businesses and supported the government's economic plans. She was also made the government's Small Business Ambassador.
In August 2014, it was announced that Karren Brady would become a Conservative life peer in the House of Lords. This means she was given a special title and a seat in the House of Lords for life. On 22 September 2014, she officially became Baroness Brady, of Knightsbridge in the City of Westminster.
Personal Life
In 1995, Karren Brady married Paul Peschisolido, a Canadian soccer player who played for Birmingham City. They have two children: a daughter named Sophia, born in 1996, and a son named Paolo. In March 2024, Karren became a grandmother when Sophia had a baby boy.
Karren Brady lives in Knightsbridge, London, with her husband. They also have a home in Knowle and her husband owns a house in Canada.
In 2006, during a medical check-up, doctors found a serious condition called a cerebral aneurysm. They told her it was very dangerous. In February 2006, she had surgery to fix it. She made a full recovery and was back at work about a month later.
Karren Brady has always been loyal to the football clubs she has worked for.
Awards and Recognition
- In 2006, Cosmopolitan magazine named her Woman of the Year.
- She attended The Queen's lunch for Women Achievers and Business Leaders in 2006.
- She was named Revitalise Businesswoman of the Year in 2007.
- In 2008, she won the NatWest Spirit of Everywoman Award for her work supporting women in business.
- In 2010, she was listed among The Sunday Telegraph's 100 Most Powerful Women in Britain.
- She received an honorary doctorate in business from the University of Birmingham in 2010.
- In 2011, she was named Britain's Most Inspirational Woman by the Breakthrough for Breast Cancer Inspiration Awards.
- She won the CEO of the Year Award at the Football Business Awards in 2012.
- In 2013, BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour listed her as one of the 100 most powerful women in the UK.
- She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2014 for her services to business and women.
- In 2014, she was named in Debrett's top 500 most influential people in Britain.
- On International Women's Day in 2014, she was named 10th in The Guardian's 50 most influential women in British sport.
- She became Baroness Brady in the House of Lords in August 2014.
Images for kids
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Karren Brady in 2008
See also
In Spanish: Karren Brady para niños
