Karren Brady

Karren is known as the first woman in football and she has been Managing Director of Birmingham City Football Club since 1993 and has turned the Club’s fortunes around.

Karren Brady was the youngest Managing Director of a PLC in the UK. Karren has attracted much media attention in her position, and was the subject of an hour long documentary ’Inside Story - The Real Life Manageress’ shown on BBC 1.

She has hosted her own TV show, Brady Bunch, and has also presented both Loose Women and Live Talk on ITV. Karren has written a factual account of her first season at Birmingham City, two novels, ’United’ and ’Trophy Wives’ and her latest book ’Playing to Win’ is about successful women in business. Karren is a columnist for The Sun newspaper; The Evening Mail in Birmingham, and The Guardian. She is a judge of the Cosmopolitan Women of Achievement Awards and the Sports Industry Awards. She is on the business Board of Scope, and the Ambassador for Birmingham Women’s Aid. She is Chairman of Kerrang! EMAP, and a Board Director of Mothercare PLC, Channel 4 Television and Sport England.

She is an honoree Fellow of the Institute of Sales and Marketing. She was voted by Cosmopolitan as one of the 100 most powerful women in the world. In November 2006 she won the Cosmopolitan Woman of the Year, in the category of Women Who Have Changed the World. In December 2007 Karren was a guest on Desert Island Discs and February 2007 will see the launch of Karren Brady’s ’Today’s Business Woman’ magazine. In December 2008 Karren won the prestigious NatWest Every Woman Award, for services to women in business. She is truly an inspiration to women and business people and is a fascinating speaker.