Margaret Mountford

Biography:

Dr Margaret Mountford is a British lawyer, businesswoman and television personality best known for her role in The Apprentice.  She was educated at the voluntary grammar school, Strathearn School in Belfast, then at Girton College, Cambridge. Returning to education later in life, she completed her PhD in 2012 at University College London.  Margaret spent a number of years as a lawyer with Herbert Smith, before taking on roles as non-executive director at Amstrad and Georgica.  She chairs the board of governors of St Marylebone, an inner-London Church of England Comprehensive School.

Margaret also chairs the Bright Ideas Trust. BIT was set up by the first Apprentice winner Tim Campbell, and helps young people start their own businesses.

In April 2012, Margaret completed her PhD in Papyrology at University College London with her thesis entitled Documentary Papyri from Roman And Byzantine Oxyrhynchus.

From 2005 to 2009, Margaret was one of Lord Sugar's advisers, alongside Nick Hewer, in the UK version of The Apprentice television show, a role with which she achieved increasing public popularity. Karren Brady took over Margaret's role as Sugar's right hand woman but Margaret remained involved in the programme up to 2013. Margaret 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.

Margaret Chaired the Baileys Womens Prize for Fiction 2016, referred to as marvellous and much missed in The Apprentice, her radio and media commentary continues.