The Apprentice - Margaret Mountford
Margaret Mountford together with Nick Hewer advises Sir Alan Sugar on The Apprentice.
Margaret Mountford comes from Holywood in County Down in Northern Ireland, where her father was a clergyman.
Margaret Mountford went to Cambridge University where she ended up reading law and then became a city solicitor rising to partner at Herbert Smith, where she had first encountered Sir Alan Sugar when she was the senior assistant for Amstrad's flotation on the Stock Exchange.
Mountford then worked on various of Sugar's legal transactions.
The Times's feature on Margaret Mountford, who is divorced, reveals how after she retired in 1999, she decided to resume her studies, including a full-time degree in ancient world studies at University College London, a part-time MA in classics and a PhD in papyrology.
Mountford also became a non-executive director of a variety of companies including Amstrad.
She is a trustee of Corda, a charity dedicated to the early detection and eradication of cardiovascular disease.
In May 2007, at the time of Margaret Mountford giving the keynote address at the 'Women in Business 07' conference in Templepatrick, the BBC reported her advice:
"I think the basic message to give is that women have to believe in their own ability - no-one else is going to believe in you if you don't believe in yourself."