Meet Karren Brady: the football ‘First Lady’
Listen this article
Executive, activist and television personality, Brady is one of the most influential women in the football business
"David [Sullivan] warned me that I would have to be twice as good as men to be considered at least half as good". Those were Brady's words in an interview by the Financial Times newspaper. Brady met David Sullivan when he owned the media Daily Sport and Sunday Sport, Sullivan decided to invest 2 million pounds on the London Broadcasting Company radio station after being convinced by Brady, who worked there. Sullivan was so impressed that he hired her and when he bought the football club Birmingham City, he named Brady general manager.
Leer en español: Conozca a Karren Brady: la 'Primera Dama' del Fútbol
Brady became the youngest managing director of a group in the United Kingdom. With only 23 years old, he took over and helped the promotion of the Club that in 2009 was sold at 82 million pounds. But her business with Sullivan did not end there, since in 2010, when she took control of West Ham United, Brady was named vice president and was put in charge of the commercial part of the club.
As her work in the world of football happens outside the show, many know her better by her appearance on the NBC show 'The Apprentice'. Brady first appeared on the show in 2007 as a participant. Then she was a guest interviewer in 2008, and in 2009 it was revealed that in the sixth season she would be assistant magnate Alan Sugar.
The job of inspiring other women
Karren Brady also works as a writer for Woman & Home magazine and The Sun. She has published four books, the last under the title of Strong Woman, whose goal is to inspire women in business. Just as Brady showed David Sullivan that she was capable of success in the business world, and even more so in a business like football, where men rule, one of her goals has been to work so that women can have more opportunities. in this field.
Brady firmly believes that women who have been able to break through in the business world should help other women to do the same, as she explains in her column Every woman in the boardroom must pull others up behind her written for The Guardian: "Women in the boardroom should not forget how many challenges and difficulties we have overcome, we should share our coping strategies. It is essential to create opportunities to identify talented women in business, and then support them to build their confidence and point to the boardroom. "
Also read: Identifiers for women's companies: a strategy worthy strategy for Latin America
In December 2013 she was granted an Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her work in this field and for entrepreneurship, and in August 2014 she was appointed by the House of Lords with the title of Baroness Karren Brady of Knightsbridge.
Lady Brady is determined to help close the gender gap in business, because despite the fact that today gender equality at work is a relevant issue and discussed worldwide, the number of women who succeed in this field, and even more, in the football industry, is still very low.
In an interview with The Independent, she said: "If you do not have a woman on your board, you should write to your shareholders and explain why. Tell us how many women you have interviewed and what skills are missing, because that will give us some basis to teach the new generation of women in business". Brady is one of the most influential figures in the football industry in the United Kingdom, with a great career and a history that undoubtedly inspires women to fight for a place in the business world.
LatinAmerican Post | María Fernanda Barinas
Translated from "Conozca a Karren Brady: 'la primera dama del fútbol'
