If you’ve typed “Karen Brady” into Google, you’re actually looking for Karren Brady, the businesswoman, broadcaster and Conservative peer best known for The Apprentice UK and West Ham United. It’s a common misspelling, so you’re in good company. Karren Brady, now Baroness Brady of Knightsbridge, spent 16 years as West Ham’s vice-chair before stepping down in April 2026, and she remains a fixture on BBC One’s The Apprentice alongside Lord Sugar. This guide covers her career, net worth, family, and what she’s doing now, with a full FAQ at the end.
Karen Brady or Karren Brady? Getting the name right
The correct spelling is Karren Brady, with two Rs, not Karen. It’s an easy mix-up given how the name sounds when spoken, and plenty of people search “Karen Brady” every month while meaning the same person. Her full name is Karren Rita Brady, and since 2014 her formal title has been Baroness Brady of Knightsbridge, CBE. Throughout this article we’ll use the correct spelling, Karren, but if you arrived here searching Karen Brady, you’re exactly where you need to be.
Quick facts about Karren Brady
| Fact | Detail |
| Full name | Karren Rita Brady |
| Also known as | Baroness Brady of Knightsbridge, CBE |
| Born | 4 April 1969, Edmonton, London |
| Age | 57 (as of July 2026) |
| Known for | Birmingham City FC, West Ham United, The Apprentice UK, House of Lords |
| Spouse | Paul Peschisolido (married 1995) |
| Children | Sophia and Paolo |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Peerage | Life peer since 2014 |
Early life: how a Saatchi & Saatchi trainee became a football boss
Karren Brady grew up in Edmonton, north London, the daughter of an Irish father and an Italian mother. She turned down a place on a journalism course and skipped university, starting instead as a trainee at Saatchi & Saatchi, according to Wikipedia. She later moved to the London Broadcasting Company, where she sold advertising to publisher David Sullivan. That relationship led straight to the job that made her name: running a football club at 23.
Karren Brady’s career at Birmingham City FC (1993 to 2009)
Sullivan backed Brady to become managing director of Birmingham City in March 1993, aged just 23, making her the youngest managing director of a UK public company once the club floated on the stock market in 1997, according to Wikipedia. She took charge while the club was in administration and turned it to a trading profit within a year. In 2002 she became the first woman to run a top-flight English football club, guiding Birmingham back into the Premier League. She left in October 2009 after Sullivan and David Gold sold their stake, ending a 16-year spell in Birmingham.
West Ham United: vice-chair for 16 years, then a shock exit in 2026
Brady joined West Ham United as vice-chair in January 2010, after Sullivan and Gold bought the club. Under her watch, West Ham negotiated the move from Upton Park to the London Stadium and won the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2023, their first trophy in 43 years, according to Sky Sports.
On 21 April 2026, West Ham confirmed that Baroness Brady had stepped down as vice-chair with immediate effect, ending a 16-year run at the club, according to an official club statement. She said the highlight was lifting the Conference League trophy, and that she was leaving to focus on other business interests and her Lords work, according to Sky Sports. The timing, close to season’s end, prompted speculation from football finance commentators, though the club and Brady both framed it as her own decision.
Karren Brady on The Apprentice UK
Brady has been Lord Sugar’s boardroom aide on BBC One’s The Apprentice since 2009, alongside Tim Campbell since 2017. She featured in series 20 in early 2026, which ran from 29 January to 16 April and ended with Karishma Vijay winning Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment, according to Wikipedia. She’s best known for a tough interview stage, and past series have seen her criticised for being blunt with candidates. Whether she returns for series 21 hadn’t been confirmed at the time of writing.
Baroness Brady: her role in the House of Lords
She was made a Conservative life peer in 2014, taking the title Baroness Brady of Knightsbridge, and made her maiden speech that November, according to the BBC. She sits as a working peer and has served as a Small Business Ambassador for the UK government. Her official Parliament title is The Baroness Brady CBE, and her voting and speaking record is public on the UK Parliament website.
Books and other work
She has written four books, including two novels, and a business title called Strong Woman, published in March 2012, which became a Sunday Times bestseller, according to Wikipedia. She’s also a long-running newspaper columnist for The Sun and Woman & Home, and took on the chairmanship of Taveta, parent company of Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia Group, in July 2017.
Family life: husband, children and grandchildren
Brady married former footballer Paul Peschisolido in 1995, having met him in 1993 while running Birmingham City, the club he played for. They have two children: Sophia, born in May 1997, and Paolo. Sophia works as a model and influencer and lives in Dubai with her fiancé, Frankie Makin.
She became a grandmother in March 2024 when Sophia had her first son, Leo, and again in September 2025 with a second grandson, George, according to National World.
Karren Brady’s net worth
Estimates of Karren Brady’s net worth vary a great deal, ranging from around £12 million to more than £90 million. Wealth publication Spear’s puts the figure at approximately £85 million, built from her West Ham salary, Apprentice fee, board directorships, book royalties and her long-running newspaper column. There’s no single confirmed figure, since Brady hasn’t stated one publicly, so treat any number you see online as an estimate, and check the original source before repeating it.
Awards, honours and what Karren Brady is doing now
Brady was appointed CBE in the December 2013 New Year Honours list for services to entrepreneurship and women in business, and she’s been named among Britain’s most influential businesswomen by outlets including Debrett’s and The Guardian. Since leaving West Ham, she has said she wants to focus on other business interests and her Lords work. She remains a regular on The Apprentice and continues to write and speak on business and women’s leadership.
FAQS
Is it Karen Brady or Karren Brady?
It’s Karren Brady, spelled with two Rs, though Karen Brady is a very common search and spelling variant. Her full name is Karren Rita Brady, and her formal title since 2014 has been Baroness Brady of Knightsbridge, CBE.
How old is Karren Brady?
Karren Brady was born on 4 April 1969 in Edmonton, London, which makes her 57 years old as of July 2026. She was educated at Aldenham School in Elstree, Hertfordshire, before starting work rather than going to university.
What is Karren Brady’s net worth?
Estimates put her net worth somewhere between £12 million and £90 million or more, with Spear’s citing around £85 million. Figures vary this widely because her income comes from several sources: her former West Ham salary, her Apprentice fee, directorships, book royalties and her newspaper column, and no official total has been confirmed.
Why did Karren Brady leave West Ham?
She stepped down as West Ham’s vice-chair on 21 April 2026, ending a 16-year spell at the club, saying she wanted to focus on other business interests and her role in the House of Lords. The club confirmed her departure in an official statement, and she named the 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League win as the highlight of her time there.
Is Karren Brady still on The Apprentice?
Yes, she was still Lord Sugar’s aide for series 20 of The Apprentice UK, which aired from January to April 2026 and was won by Karishma Vijay. Her involvement in future series hadn’t been confirmed at the time of writing, though her West Ham exit doesn’t affect her separate BBC contract.
Who is Karren Brady’s husband?
She’s married to Paul Peschisolido, a former professional footballer who played for Birmingham City when the pair met in 1993. They married in 1995 and have two children together, Sophia and Paolo, plus two grandchildren.
Does Karren Brady have children?
Yes, two: a daughter, Sophia, born in May 1997, and a son, Paolo, both with husband Paul Peschisolido. Sophia has since had two sons of her own, Leo and George, making Brady a grandmother twice over.
Why is she called Baroness Brady?
She became a Conservative life peer in 2014 after being nominated for the House of Lords, taking the formal title Baroness Brady of Knightsbridge. She sits in the Lords as a working peer alongside her business and broadcasting career.
