Karren Brady

Desert Island Discs: Archive 2005-2010

BBC

Society & Culture, Personal Journals

4.4 • 804 Ratings

🗓️ 30 December 2007

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is the businesswoman Karren Brady. She is known as the First Lady of Football - and it's a moniker that is well earned. When she became Managing Director of Birmingham City she was just 23 years old, the club was languishing in the second division and it was in dire financial straits. Fifteen years later, and it is in the Premier League and is one of the few clubs to turn a healthy profit.

Along the way Karren has married one of her players, had two children and overcome a life-threatening brain condition. She has always, she says, relied on her enthusiasm, determination and strength of character to see her through.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler Book: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen Luxury: My own pillow.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, it's Nicola Cochlin. Young people have been making history for years, but we don't often hear about them. My brand new series on BBC Sounds sets out to put this right. In history's youngest heroes, I'll be revealing the fascinating stories of 12 young people who've played a major role in history and who've helped shape our world. Like Audrey Hepburn, Nelson Mandela, Louis Braille and Lady Jane Grey, history's youngest heroes with me, Nicola Cochlin.
0:27.8	Listen on BBC Sounds.
0:30.3	Hello, I'm Krista Young and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs Archive.
0:35.3	For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music.
0:38.4	The program was originally broadcast in 2007.
1:01.4	Music My castaway this week is the businesswoman Karen Brady.
1:06.2	She's been called the First Lady of Football, and it's a moniker that's well-earned.
1:11.6	She became managing director of Birmingham City nearly 15 years ago when she was just 23.
1:17.6	When she joined, the club was in administration. Now it turns a hefty profit and has risen from the second division to the premiership. Success in the boardroom and on the pitch is rare enough,
1:22.8	but along the way she has married, one of her players, had two children and battled a life-threatening illness.
1:29.2	A remarkable journey then, Karen. You've said that during those years, in your words,
1:33.4	you've had to learn how to handle expectations and words of four letters. Can you take us back to
1:39.7	1993 then? You became MD of Birmingham City. What sort of reception did you get when you arrived?
1:44.8	It was interesting actually because I remember I'd seen an advert in the Financial Times that said football club for sale.
1:49.8	And I went to my boss and I said, look, there's this football club for sale in Birmingham.
1:52.7	It's run down. It's an administration. I'd like you to buy it and let me go and run it.
1:57.2	And I remember him saying to me, football, Karen. He said, you know, very male-dominated.
2:01.6	You'll have to be twice as good as the men to be thought as even only half as good.
2:05.5	And I said, well, luckily, that's not difficult.
2:08.5	What job were you doing at the time?
2:10.0	I was running a newspaper group.
2:11.4	I was sales and market director for a newspaper group.
	...

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