Margaret Mountford
Dr Margaret Mountford | |
|---|---|
| Born | Margaret Swale 24 November 1951 Holywood, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Girton College, Cambridge |
| Occupation(s) | Lawyer Businesswoman Television personality |
| Employer(s) | Amstrad plc Georgica plc |
| Known for | Advisor to Lord Sugar in UK version of The Apprentice (2005–09) |
| Spouse | Richard Mountford (m. 1973–1990) (divorced) |
| Partner(s) | Gary O'Neil (1993–95, 1997–present) |
| Children | 1 |
Margaret Rose Mountford (née Swale) is a British lawyer, businesswoman and television personality known for her role in The Apprentice.
Biography
Mountford is originally from Holywood in Northern Ireland.[2] She was educated at the voluntary grammar school Strathearn School in Belfast and at Girton College, Cambridge.
Mountford spent a number of years with the law firm Herbert Smith, before taking on roles as non-executive director at Amstrad and Georgica.[3] She returned to study, and completed a Ph.D in papyrology at University College London in April 2012.[4] She chairs the board of governors of St Marylebone,[5] an inner-London Church of England Comprehensive School.[6]
Mountford is also a trustee for the Bright Ideas Trust. BIT was set up by the first Apprentice winner Tim Campbell and helps young people start their own businesses.[7]
TV appearances
From 2005 to 2009 Mountford was one of Lord Sugar's advisers, alongside Nick Hewer, in the United Kingdom version of The Apprentice television show, a role with which she achieved increased public popularity.[8] Mountford also took part on the panel in The Apprentice - You're Fired on 27 May 2009 for the first time, during which she hinted that Lorraine would not make the final.
In June 2009 Mountford announced she was leaving the show at the end of Series 5 in order to concentrate on her Ph.D studies at University College London (UCL). She was replaced for Series 6 by businesswoman Karren Brady.[9]
She appeared in the 'interview' episode of the 2010 series, where she helped Lord Sugar narrow down the applicants to a final two candidates. Mountford returned for the Apprentice Finals in 2011 and 2012 in a similar role.
In March 2012, Mountford appeared in the Channel 4 TV series Countdown (game show) in Dictionary Corner.
References
- ^ [1]
- ^ Apprentice star fires up NI women, BBC News, 23 May 2007
- ^ "Amstrad Board of Directors". Amstrad. Archived from the original on 5 April 2007. Retrieved 16 May 2007.
- ^ EES Trustee Margaret Mountford completes PhD, Egypt Exploration Society, 2012-04-05, retrieved 2012-04-15
- ^ "School Governors". stmaryleboneschool.com. Retrieved 2009-03-26. [dead link]
- ^ Spying for Sir Alan, The Guardian, 28 March 2007
- ^ http://www.brightideastrust.com
- ^ Headmistress of the nation, The Guardian, 9 May 2008
- ^ Karren Brady hired for Apprentice, BBC News, 30 August 2009