Baroness Karren Brady CBE

Karren Brady CBE is a pioneering business leader and one of football's most transformative executives, recognised for breaking barriers and delivering extraordinary commercial success. As Managing Director of Birmingham City FC, she rescued the club from administration and floated it on the stock market, becoming the UK's youngest Managing Director of a PLC. During her 16-year tenure as Vice Chair of West Ham United, she increased revenue by 300%, secured the move to the London Stadium, and helped grow the club's valuation to £1 billion. Awarded a CBE and appointed to the House of Lords, she equips audiences with practical strategies for leadership, resilience, and driving growth in challenging environments.

When Karren Brady walked into Birmingham City Football Club in 1993, she inherited a club in administration and a boardroom that had never seen a woman at its helm. Within twelve months, she had turned the club's finances around, delivering a trading profit and setting a trajectory that would see Birmingham City float on the stock market just four years later, making her the youngest Managing Director of a PLC in the UK. Her tenure at Birmingham City, which concluded with the club's sale for £82 million in 2009, established her as a transformative force in English football and laid the groundwork for a career that would span nearly 35 years at the highest levels of the sport.

As Vice Chair of West Ham United from 2010 until April 2026, Karren drove exponential growth across every commercial measure. She led the complex negotiations that secured the club's move to the London Stadium, overseeing the transition to the 62,500-capacity venue that was named Stadium of the Year in 2017. Under her leadership, revenue increased by 300%, the season ticket base grew to more than 50,000 supporters, and the club's valuation reached £1 billion, placing West Ham 16th in Forbes' World's Most Valuable Soccer Clubs list. In 2023, West Ham won the UEFA Europa Conference League, the club's first major trophy in 43 years. Awarded a CBE for her contribution to women in business and entrepreneurship, she was appointed to the House of Lords in 2014 as Baroness Brady of Knightsbridge. Her accolades include Businesswoman of the Year and recognition as one of the most powerful people in sport and one of Britain's most inspirational women.

Karren equips audiences with practical insights drawn from decades of navigating male-dominated industries, executing high-stakes negotiations, and delivering sustained commercial growth. She shares proven strategies for resilience, leadership under pressure, and turning around underperforming organisations, offering tangible frameworks that translate directly to diverse business contexts. Her parliamentary work co-chairing the Women and Work All-Party Parliamentary Group and her ambassadorial roles with WellChild, the Stroke Association, and Dress for Success reflect her commitment to creating pathways for others. Audiences leave her presentations with actionable tools for driving revenue, building high-performing teams, and leading with conviction in challenging environments, inspired by someone who has consistently turned obstacles into opportunities throughout her career.