Karren Brady Biography Karren Rita Brady, Baroness Brady, CBE born April 4, 1969, is a prominent British business executive and television personality. She is a former managing director of Birmingham City F.C. and the current vice-chairman of West Ham United F.C. Additionally, she serves as an aide to Alan Sugar on The Apprentice. A member of the Conservative Party in the House of Lords, Brady has also held the role of Small Business Ambassador for the UK government. Her career with Birmingham City began in March 1993 when she was just 23 years old. In 2002, she made history as the first woman to hold a managing director position in the top tier of English football after the team’s promotion. She oversaw the company’s flotation in 1997, becoming the youngest managing director of a UK plc. Brady left the club in 2009.
Karren Brady Biography
Baroness Karren Brady of Knightsbridge CBE is a prominent British business executive and television personality, renowned for her significant career in both football and media. She is widely recognized for her tenure as the managing director of Birmingham City F.C. and for her role as an aide to Alan Sugar on the UK version of The Apprentice. In addition to her business acumen, Baroness Brady is an influential member of the House of Lords and serves as a Small Business Ambassador for the UK Government.
Karren Brady Biography Details
| Born | Karren Rita Brady 4 April 1969 (age 55) Edmonton, London, England |
| Occupations | Business Executive Television Personality Writer Peer |
| Known for | Vice-chairman of West Ham United Aide to Alan Sugar on The Apprentice |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Paul Peschisolido (m. 1995) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Commander of the Order of the British Empire Life Peerage |
| Category | Singers Bio |
About Karren Brady
Karren Rita Brady, Baroness Brady, CBE is a British business executive and television personality. She is a former managing director of Birmingham City F.C. and current vice-chairman of West Ham United F.C., and an aide to Alan Sugar on The Apprentice.
- Born: 4 April 1969 (age 55 years), Edmonton, London, United Kingdom
- Spouse: Paul Peschisolido (m. 1995)
- Children: Sophia Peschisolido, Paolo Peschisolido
- Education: Aldenham School, Salcombe Preparatory School & Nursery
- Parents: Terry Brady, Rita Brady
Early Life
Brady grew up in Edmonton, London, with her family home located near Tottenham Hotspur’s football ground. Her father, Terry Brady, was successful in printing and property development, while her mother, Rita, is Italian. She has an older brother, Darren. Brady attended Salcombe Preparatory School in Southgate until the age of 11, followed by Poles Convent, a boarding school in Ware, Hertfordshire. She later attended Aldenham School, Elstree, a boys’ school that accepted girls in the sixth form, where she earned four A-levels.
Karren Brady at a Glance
Category: Richest Business Executives
Net Worth: $40 Million
Salary: $1.6 Million
Birthdate: April 4, 1969 (55 years old)
Birthplace: Edmonton, London
Gender: Female
Nationality: United Kingdom
Early Life
Karren Brady was born on April 4, 1969, in Edmonton, London, to Terry, an Irish father, and Rita, an Italian mother. She grew up with her older brother, Darren, and attended Salcombe Preparatory School in Southgate before moving on to Poles Convent, a boarding school in Ware, Hertfordshire. Later, she attended Aldenham School in Elstree, a boys’ school that began accepting girls in the sixth form, where she completed four A-levels.
Career
Brady began her professional career at Saatchi & Saatchi and later joined the London Broadcasting Company as an advertising account executive. At just 20, she joined Sport Newspapers Ltd. and quickly became a director for David Sullivan. While working for him, she saw an ad in the Financial Times about Birmingham City F.C.’s sale and persuaded Sullivan to buy the club and allow her to run it. At only 23, Brady became the managing director of Birmingham City F.C. in 1993 and helped transform its fortunes until 2009. In January 2010, she took on the role of vice-chairman at West Ham United.
Brady has served as the chairman of Kerrang!, a music magazine, and has sat on the boards of organizations like Sport England, Channel 4, and Syco, co-owned by Simon Cowell and Sony. She has also served non-executive roles with Taveta Investments Ltd. and Mothercare. Brady’s media presence expanded when she appeared as a celebrity contestant on Comic Relief Does The Apprentice in 2007. She later became Lord Alan Sugar’s assistant on The Apprentice in 2009.
Awards and Recognition
Brady has won numerous accolades throughout her career, including being named Cosmopolitan Woman of the Year in 2006 and Revitalise Businesswoman of the Year in 2007. She was featured in The Sunday Telegraph’s 100 Most Powerful Women in Britain in 2010 and was named one of London’s 1000 Most Influential People by the Evening Standard the same year. In 2012, she was honored as CEO of the Year at the Football Business Awards, and she received her CBE in the 2014 New Year Honours for her services to entrepreneurship and women in business.
Personal Life
Brady married Canadian soccer player Paul Peschisolido in 1995. The couple has two children: a daughter named Sophia, born in 1996, and a son, Paolo. They live in Knightsbridge, London, and also own properties in Canada and Knowle in the West Midlands. In 2006, Brady was diagnosed with a cerebral aneurysm after a routine full-body MRI scan, which doctors considered a miracle given the potential risks of her surviving childbirth. She underwent surgery to treat the aneurysm and made a full recovery, returning to work just a month later.
Salary
Karren Brady’s base salary at West Ham is around $1.6 million. In a typical year she also receives a roughly $1 million bonus.
Karren Brady Net Worth 2025
As of 2025, Karren Brady has an estimated net worth of $40 million. Her wealth primarily comes from her roles in football management, business investments, media work, and public speaking engagements. Known for her role as the former managing director of Birmingham City F.C. and her current position as vice-chairman of West Ham United F.C., she has also gained widespread recognition as an aide to Alan Sugar on The Apprentice. There has been some confusion regarding Brady’s wealth, with reports suggesting she sold her stake in Birmingham F.C. for £81.5 million in 2009. However, it was actually David Sullivan, the man she persuaded to purchase the club in 1993 for around $1 million, who sold the franchise for that amount in October 2009.