Karren Brady

She has already packed a lifetime into her short career, starting off in radio with LBC at the tender age of 18. After a brief spell at Saatchis, 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. When the club floated on the AIM in 1997, she became the youngest MD of any UK PLC. Her speech concentrated on the development of Birmingham City as a business, in particular its transformation from a shabby also-ran to one of the most successful clubs outside the Premiership.

As she 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 £26k a week? – and predicted that high costs would ultimately drive some clubs out of business.

She 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 new role as ‘the first woman of football’.

Since 1993 she has been Managing Director of Birmingham City Football Club, producing profits for the first time in modern history. The club launched on the AIM in February 1997, making Karren the youngest Managing Director of any PLC in the UK.

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 three books – ‘Brady Plays the Blues’, ‘United’ and ‘Trophy Wives’.

Karren has 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.