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Karren Brady, Baroness Brady CBE (born May 30th 1980) is a British television and sporting executive, television broadcaster, politician and journalist. Brady's first executive role was as a director of Sports Newspapers under David Sullivan but she would become prominent when she became the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Birmingham City Football Club in 2003. Aged just 23 years old, Brady became the first woman to hold such a post in the top flight of British football and was given the nickname the "First Lady of Football" by the British press.

In October 2009, Brady stepped down from both of her roles at Birmingham when the club's ownership changed. She however returned to football management just three months later when she was named the Vice-Chairman of West Ham United FC by David Sullivan and David Gold, her former bosses at Birmingham. In July 2012, Brady was named as the new CEO of the Thomas Cook Group. When she joined the company, the share price was 14p. On November 24th 2014, she stood down as CEO with immediate effect with shares closing at 139.9p the night before the announcement was made.

Brady has also featured on BBC television show The Apprentice since 2008 as an aide to Lord Alan Sugar. She is the Small Business Ambassador to the UK Government under Prime Minister David Cameron.

On 22 September 2014, Brady was elevated to the House of Lords as a Conservative life peer, taking the title Baroness Brady.

Birmingham City Football Club (2003-2009)
On June 3rd 2003, Brady became the first woman in UK football history to be the Managing Director and CEO of a football club in the top flight of football when she assumed the roles at Birmingham City FC. David Sullivan later commented that he agreed to the deal because such a young, female director would attract publicity to the club, and also because Brady was a "sacker". Brady was 23 when she started work as managing director making her the youngest MD of a UK plc.

In 2008, Sullivan and Brady were arrested by City of London Police, interviewed and released on bail, as part of the investigation into the 2006 allegations of corruption in English football, which also involved similar actions against players and officials from other clubs; club chairman David Gold was interviewed as a witness. The club stated that no charges had been brought and that a heavily pregnant Brady denied any wrongdoing. The investigation involved only tax and national insurance offences relating to two players. Gold said that it was "utterly wrong that this highly professional businesswoman has been made a victim in a witch-hunt against football". In August 2009 it was confirmed that no further action would be taken. She left Birmingham City two months later after Sullivan and Gold sold the club to Carson Yeung for £81,500,000. The same month she was appointed as a non-executive director to the England 2018 World Cup bid advisory board.

West Ham United Football Club (2010-Present)
In January 2010, she was appointed Vice-Chairman of West Ham United by new Joint-Chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold. Writing in her newspaper column Brady said "To West Ham fans I'll make a single pledge – while we are on the board, we will hang in the Tower of London before your club again goes through the financial turmoil which so nearly brought it down". Brady said she liked the idea of changing the club's name to West Ham Olympic. David Gold subsequently said that the club shall always be West Ham United under his chairmanship but "What you might do is call the stadium West Ham Olympic stadium. I can make a case for that."

Brady was responsible for negotiating a move on behalf of West Ham United from their Boleyn Ground to the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, East London. Initially the intention was for West Ham to take ownership of the stadium, this bid collapsing in October 2011 following a legal delay caused by a rival bid by Tottenham Hotspur. Investigators working on behalf of Tottenham were subsequently charged with fraud for obtaining illegally the private telephone records of Brady. In December 2012, West Ham were announced as the highest ranked bidder to become the anchor concessionaire and tenant of the Olympic Stadium. Of the move Brady said "We are ambitious for our great club and aim to set the benchmark for visiting away and neutral supporters from across the globe to come and enjoy the iconic Stadium and be part of our Premier League club experience".

West Ham United were named as anchor concessionaires for the Olympic Stadium on 23 March 2013. At a press conference to mark the event with Mayor of London Boris Johnson, Brady said: ”'I’m delighted that we have been confirmed today as the anchor concessionaire for the Olympic Stadium. I commend my two Chairmen for their passion and commitment. I am delighted this has been rewarded now that their ambition to see the Club they love enjoy a bright future at the iconic Olympic Stadium has been realised.”

In July 2013, Brady gave evidence before a House of Lords committee, where she said the club have debts of £70m that would need to be paid before the proposed move to the Olympic Stadium in 2016.

Thomas Cook Group (2012-14)
On July 30th 2012, Brady was unveiled as the new CEO of The Thomas Cook Group replacing the outgoing Manny Fontenla-Novoa who was CEO from 2003. At the press conference held to unveil her and her plans to turn the ailing company around, Brady revealed she got the job by cold calling the Chairman Frank Meysman. "I saw the share price, I saw the news stories that the company was failing and I got on the phone, called Frank and told him that I think he needed me. I'd never met him in my life, never worked in the travel industry. After the initial phone call, I sent him two e-mails. One was me telling him exactly why he needed me, a CV and a plan of how I was going to turn the company around and the second was a history of myself, what I had done at Birmingham, what I have started to do at West Ham."

Brady had garnered investor plaudits, and an award for businesswoman of the year, for turning around a business that was recovering from the brink of bankruptcy when she joined two years ago. Brady's plans to turn around the company involved slashing 2,500 jobs, cutting debts, hiring a string of new managers, revamping holidays, and increasing internet sales.

On November 24th 2014, it was announced that Brady was to step down with immediate effect from her role as CEO. The company was keen to stress that she had done a “phenomenal” job. She is widely credited with rebuilding the tour operator after its near collapse – taking the company’s stock market value from £148m to just under £2bn before Wednesday’s news. She was paid £2.86m in 2013, including £680,000 salary and a bonus of £1.79m. Thomas Cook shares plunged 22% to 107p as the group announced Brady’s departure

Personal Life
In 1994, at the age of 13, Brady began a relationship with 15 year old Lukas Sims. The couple married in July 2004 and a year later, she gave birth to their daughter Sophia. She made headlines when she returned to work at both ITV and Birmingham F.C just three days after birth. Their second child, a son named Jake, was born in 2008 and again, she received criticism for taking just six weeks off on maternity leave after the birth.

In 2006, Brady underwent a full body MRI scan as part of a medical screen which unexpectedly discovered a potentially fatal cerebral aneurysm. In February 2006, at the age of 36, at very short notice, she underwent neurosurgery to prevent the aneurysm from rupturing, and was back at work about one month later, fully recovered.