Glam footie boss: Karren call would get me Fired up
A GLAMOROUS footie boss would love some support from the game’s original female trailblazer, TV regular Karren Brady.
Carolyn Radford has turned around Mansfield Town’s fortunes since taking over as CEO eight years ago.
And she would welcome encouragement from the Apprentice star. Karren, 50, was the first female boss of a top British club when she became managing director of Birmingham City in 1993. Carolyn, 37, said: “Karren Brady is obviously busy doing her own thing, so I’ve never had the opportunity to speak to her. I pretty much keep my head down and just get on with it. Because there’s so few of us and football is so competitive, it’s really hard to kind of have a chat.
“So many people in football are still quite closed.
“But female camaraderie would be nice. It’s almost like women become a bit defensive, maybe because you’re on your own.
“I’m certainly not – I’m an open book.”
Carolyn was last month crowned Sky Bet League Two’s CEO of the Year and has been nominated for the overall CEO of the Year award.
She said she has fought hard to overcome hurdles facing females in a male-dominated industry. And she would love to see more women in football boardrooms. Carolyn, whose husband John, 53, owns the club, said: “I think people still struggle to take me seriously, especially because I like fashion, I’m quite cool I’d say, and I’m good at business. “I’m a lawyer, I have quite a lot going for me. “I’ve been able to prove people wrong that have said, ‘Oh, she’s not going to last two minutes.’ “I’ve been in the job eight years. For me, it’s a huge honour and shows how far I’ve come.”