Karren Brady has ended her 16-year association with West Ham United, leaving her role as vice-chair at a turbulent moment for the club as supporters continue to voice their discontent with the board’s leadership.
Brady, 57, confirmed her departure in a statement in which she reflected warmly on her time at the club, singling out the 2023 UEFA Europa Conference League triumph as the defining highlight of her tenure. “Lifting the UEFA Europa Conference League trophy — a moment that will stay with me forever,” she said, adding that she remained grateful for “the relationships, challenges and opportunities” that had shaped her time in east London.
Her exit brings to a close a business relationship with joint-chair David Sullivan that stretches back nearly four decades. The two first worked together when Brady, then just 23 years old, persuaded Sullivan to purchase Birmingham City in 1993, going on to serve as the club’s managing director — a role that established her as one of the most prominent women in English football. She joined West Ham when Sullivan took over the club and has been a prominent figure there ever since, playing a central role in the controversial relocation from Upton Park to the London Stadium following the 2012 Olympics.
Her departure comes at a difficult point in the club’s season. West Ham currently sit just a point and a place above the Premier League relegation zone, though results have improved since the appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo as manager. Protests against the board have become a fixture of matchdays, with anti-board chants clearly audible during last night’s draw at Crystal Palace. Brady and Sullivan have both been targets of supporter frustration throughout what has been a deeply disappointing campaign.
Sullivan paid tribute to Brady’s contribution, describing her as “an exceptional leader and a key figure in the club’s development.” Joint-chair Daniel Kretinsky went further, crediting her with work that had been “absolutely essential and not always fully appreciated,” citing her role in securing the long-term London Stadium contract, facilitating the shareholders’ transition and overseeing the then-British record sale of Declan Rice.
Brady, a columnist for The Sun and a familiar face as Lord Sugar’s aide on The Apprentice, is understood to be keen to redirect her attention towards her wider business interests, her seat in the House of Lords and her continued involvement in the television programme.
West Ham have been approached for further comment.
