Karren Brady chats to Jon Wilcox about her new role as Lord Sugar's right-hand women on The Apprentice, the recession, and the importance of business skills for today's young people.
As fans of BBC One's The Apprentice, we were thrilled when TrainingZone.co.uk’s Jon Wilcox recently caught up with Karren Brady, the former managing director at Birmingham City FC at the recent launch of Sony Ericsson’s new XPERIA X-2 smartphones.
During the interview it’s clear that she’s excited to be taking on an even greater role in The Apprentice’s sixth series, having already proved herself to be a formidable candidate as project manager in the Comic Relief celebrity version of The Apprentice and of course her involvment with the show for the previous two seasons, interviewing the contestants.
"One of the most important things about it is people’s learning process, and that’s why every year more and more people apply to be in it. We all want to have a go to get the chance of having a £100,000 per year job."
The relationship between Brady and the former Suralan is one that’s been nurtured through their former football interests, Brady with Birmingham City, and Lord Sugar as ex-chairman of Tottenham Hotspur. “I’ve known Lord Sugar for 16 years; I’ve been working with him on and off,” she explains. So it comes as no surprise that she was selected as the natural replacement for Lord Sugar's long-standing right hand woman, Margaret Mountford who stood down earlier this year after five series of the hit BBC show.
"I love The Apprentice; it’s my favourite show in TV,” says Brady. “To be involved with your favourite show is a wonderful opportunity, and one I really wanted to do. Like everybody else, I was sad Margaret was leaving because she was wonderful in the role. However, when she’d made the decision to leave and Alan asked me, I was thrilled."
Thanks to her role in recent series (“I’ve sat on all sides of the table!” she exclaims), Brady is in a unique position to assess the show as an accurate representation of business and training in UK plc. “I do [think it shows a good portrayal]; it’s not a game show. At the end of the day, someone gets a £100,000 a year job. It’s an important process; it’s an interview process that explores people’s abilities to the extreme. It gets people thinking; all of the people who enter the process want the job," she says.
“One of the most important things about it is people’s learning process, and that’s why every year more and more people apply to be in it. We all see something in the candidates similar to ourselves, and we all want to have a go to get the chance of having a £100,000 per year job.”
"We need to win back in the country, and business is a very important part of doing that; creating jobs, creating a structure, creating trust in the system."
Now with the sixth series sewn up and confirmed for a post-general election transmission, how has the experience been for Brady? “It’s been wonderful,” she says, before adding, “We’ve done the main show and The Junior Apprentice. It’s great to see young people in such a positive light."
Her enthusiasm for The Junior Apprentice is clear. “Teenagers in this country don’t always get the best press, so to see 16 and 17-year-olds who are far superior in their ability to run businesses, some of the ideas they’ve had, their concepts, and the way they tackle things – I think it will stand teenagers in good stead and get others thinking about being an entrepreneur.”
Beyond her new role beside Lord Sugar, what else is Brady doing? “I’ve just joined the board of England 2018, which will hopefully bring the FIFA World Cup to England,” she explains. “That’s going to be great for me because it’s an opportunity to combine my business experience with football – and something that’s really exciting too.” (Her tenure on the England 2018 board came to an end just days after speaking with us. Following a restructuring on 12 November, Brady was appointed head of advisory board and tasked with the ensuring members remain active with the international campaign.)
“I’m on the board of Mothercare, which I’ve been on for a number of years; it enjoys great credibility and brand name, and is an important high street retailer…and I’m also on the board of Channel 4.”
Somewhat inevitably, the conversation turns to the recession. Brady revealed that in her opinion, “the fact mortgages are still very low means people aren’t quite feeling the pinch as much as the recession would otherwise be bringing home.” The ‘pinch’ isn’t perhaps quite as hard as it could have been according to the former Birmingham City MD. For Brady there’s a more important issue facing the UK:
“One of the things missing at the moment is an ability to trust. People don’t trust the banks, they don’t trust the system and they’re not sure they trust politicians because of the expenses row.” She adds: “I think it’s that we need to win back in the country, and business is a very important part of doing that; creating jobs, creating a structure, creating trust in the system. The general election will give a kick start to the economy, and hopefully whilst mortgages stay low and people keep their jobs, they’ll regain trust in the system.”
The Apprentice, series six is due to be screened in summer 2010.
Jon Wilcox is technology correspondent for the Sift Media portfolio, which includes TrainingZone.co.uk. You can follow Jon and Sift Media’s technology editor, John Stokdyk, on Twitter.
