Former Aldenham School pupil and businesswoman scoops CBE

A celebrity businesswoman who attended Aldenham School scooped a royal honour this month. Karren Brady, known for work alongside Lord Alan Sugar on BBC’s The Apprentice, has been made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List. Karren, who attended Aldenham School from 1985 to 1987, was recognised in the list for the work she has done for other women in business. The TV star, who is vice-chairman of West Ham Football Club, attended the school in Aldenham Road for her A-Levels and was in Beevor’s House. Speaking about her time at the private school, she said: “It was one of the best times I ever had. I got back my sense of who I was, and what I wanted to do. It was the kind of school that promoted your individualism and social skills. “I had a free spirit, lots of friends and loads of fun, and if I ever look back to where my real confidence started and where I believed that I could be what I wanted to be, it was at that school.”