With the nineteenth series of ‘The Apprentice’ having just concluded, we consider the achievements of Lord Sugar’s right-hand woman, Dame Karren Brady.
Karren Brady knows a thing or two about running a business. After all, she’s been doing it since she was a young child, setting up car washes and providing manicures and pedicures with her brother Darren.
Best known for ‘The Apprentice’, ‘Fantasy Football League’ and ‘Match of the Day’, Karren Brady – or to give the Conservative peer her full title, Baroness Karren Brady of Knightsbridge CBE – was born in Edmonton, London, in April 1969.
The Beautiful Game
Karren began her career in advertising sales straight after school. In 1993, aged just 23, she became managing director of Birmingham City FC when it was in administration. Having turned the club around, she sold it in 2009 for £82 million. Her next move in 2010 was to join the board of West Ham United, where she was appointed vice chairman. In this role, which she still holds, she negotiated a successful bid for the club’s move to London’s 60,000-seat Olympic Stadium.
She married Canadian former soccer player and coach Paul Peschisolido in 1995. The couple have two grown-up children, Sophia and Paolo. “We’ve always been there for each other and supported one another. There’s never been any jealousy or one-upmanship,” said Karren. “What we have in common is the complete love for both our children, and their health and wellbeing is at the centre of everything we do.”
World Upside Down
In 2006, Karren’s world was rocked after a routine health check. She was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm and had a mere 30% chance of survival. Karren underwent a five-and-a-half-hour operation. She recalled: “I felt a sort of sadness that it had happened to me – you do think, why me?“ I realised how fragile life was. What really scared me, though, was the thought of my children being without me.”
She’s Hired!
Karren made her Apprentice debut in March 2007 as a celebrity contestant on ‘Comic Relief Does The Apprentice’. She was leader for the girls’ team, raising more than £750,000.
In June 2008, she was a guest interviewer in series four of ‘The Apprentice’ and became an assistant to Lord Sugar in 2009. She acts as an adviser, following the teams throughout their tasks and reporting back to Lord Sugar.
The show’s winners from 2017 to 2024 have all been female. Karren, a champion of women in business, said: “Seeing women consistently outperform the guys and win the whole series is incredible. It’s a tough process and they’ve handled themselves extremely well. “For me it’s an incredible platform to show what businesswomen can do.”
Attention is now on the landmark twentieth series, due next year. There are also rumours of a celebrity spin-off towards the end of 2025. Asked who should be in the line-up, Karren instantly replied: “Donald Trump!”
