Jobs and Careers Autumn 2019 - 32

he's upfront, she's to the point, and she
doesn't take any prisoners. She champions
women in business, is vice-chair of
West Ham FC and a baroness sitting
in the House of Lords. You may
know her best as Lord Sugar's
right-hand woman on the BBC's
The Apprentice or read her regular
column in the Sun. What more
can Karren Brady achieve?

Karren on...
her career trajectory
"I went to boarding school from an early
age, where nothing is your own and you spend
your whole life doing what you're told. I wanted
independence and knew that would come from having
my own money, which I presumed started with a job.
"I left school at 18, with four good A-levels. I wasn't
qualified to do anything, but I'd worked out what
things make me who I am. I was ambitious, determined
and had integrity. It's interesting that 32 years later,
these are still the qualities that make me who I am.
"My first job was at the advertising agency Saatchi &
Saatchi (S&S), where I was on the graduate scheme even
though I wasn't a graduate - they still do this now, which
I think is great. I'd had two job offers, one at S&S and
one at London Broadcasting Company (LBC), and midway through the grad scheme I switched to LBC where
they still had a place for me. That's where I met David
Sullivan - I was selling advertising space to him for the
Daily Sport and Sunday Sport newspapers. He spent more
than £2m on advertising in six months and then offered
me a job at the Sport. In my first job, I was earning
£9k a year, but by the time I was 19 I was on £38k.
"In 1993, I persuaded David to buy Birmingham
City Football Club and at the age of 23 became the
youngest managing director of a football club. I'd
found something I was really good at and I embraced
it. I had no training - it was all learning on the job.
"There was no safety net and I knew if I couldn't pay
my rent or electricity bills, no one was going to do it and
step in for me. I had to be self-sufficient. I taught myself
to do things that needed to be done, when they needed
to be done. I was there from 6am to 10pm and I loved it.
"Nothing is work unless you want to be doing
something else. Finding something you're good at is
the key because a career lasts a lifetime - it needs to
be something you love and that enriches your life."

Karren on...
being a working mum
"Sophia is 23 and Paulo is 21, so I'm definitely out the
other side now! But when they were young, flexible
hours and work-life balance didn't exist, so I spent my
life juggling board meetings and school functions, feeling
guilty when I was at one that I should be at the other.
But working women shouldn't feel guilty. My kids are
32 /// JOBS & CAREERS

perfectly fine and normal, and didn't
suffer because I couldn't take them to
school or pick them up every day.
"Resilience, having a career,
finding something you love and being
independent are all things you can
teach your kids. Trust me, it works out
in the end. But take your maternity
leave, which I didn't at the time - you're
entitled to it and that's a good thing."

Karren on...
how to find your dream career
"You have to work out what it really is
that you want to do and don't think, 'As
soon as I find my passion I'll be OK,' as
if it has fallen down the back of sofa.
"What is it that makes you happy? And
factor in what you're good at. I would
have loved to have been an artist, but I
can't draw a stick man. But you have to
try things and you have to push yourself.
"In reality the only jobs you need to
have a natural talent for are sport and
being an artist. You can learn how to be
a doctor, lawyer or salesperson. If you're
prepared to work hard and put in the
effort, you can be what you want to be."

Karren on...
working in a maledominated industry
"When I started at Birmingham City
in the early 90s, women were banned
from football club boardrooms. It's not
nearly as male-dominated now - there
are lots of women in senior management
roles at Premier League clubs.
"When I became vice-chair at West
Ham, I saw it as my opportunity to make
changes. I've mentored, encouraged,
promoted - done everything in my power
to get more women into the industry to
make it better. I've succeeded in that."

Karren on...
the qualities you need to
make your career a success
"Be prepared to work hard, go beyond
the job description, volunteer for
projects and take risks. Be enthusiastic
and driven, and learn not to settle
when a good job gets in the way of
a great job. Embrace your ambition
- to get the career you want you
have to be determined, so don't
let anything stand in your way.
"You've got to own your own successes,
be able to present, have confidence

Jobs and Careers Autumn 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Jobs and Careers Autumn 2019