Baroness Karren Brady Steps Down as West Ham United Vice-Chair After 16 Years

Baroness Karren Brady stepped down as vice-chair of West Ham United in April 2026, five games before the end of the season. She had served in the role for 16 years after David Sullivan and business partners bought the club in 2010. Brady, 57, had been made aware in July 2023 that the Football Association contacted West Ham after receiving a complaint about a historic allegation against Sullivan dating to the 1980s.

Since that time Sullivan has been banned from contacting the club's women's and youth teams due to safeguarding concerns. Lawyers for Brady stated she was not involved in the decision to impose the restrictions. They said her role was to ensure the club's established and robust safeguarding structures, procedures and necessary confidentialities were followed and respected throughout.

Brady's lawyers said she had "no knowledge" of the allegations published in a joint BBC Panorama and Times investigation. They added she was "not involved in, nor did she witness... [any] of the incidents alleged in the reports".

In correspondence to the BBC on Friday evening, the lawyers said Brady stayed at West Ham because Sullivan always denied the allegation and she relied "on the principle of presumption of innocence in continuing to work at the club". They said there was no inconsistency between her support for women's rights and her decision to remain.

Sullivan has categorically denied all allegations of sexually exploitative and predatory behaviour made against him.

Brady first worked for Sullivan in the 1980s at his Sport newspapers. In 1993, Sullivan named the then-23-year-old managing director of Birmingham City. She worked for him for approximately four decades in total.