Last night’s final of The Apprentice saw 31-year-old Stella English beat rival Chris Bates to Lord Sugar’s six-figure salary job, with the entrepreneur praising his winning candidate for being a great organiser of people, knowing how to handle a team and her determination. As a Stylist favourite from week one, here we outline the reasons she won. Budding businesswomen, take note...
She stays calm under pressure: When the pressure was on, Stella had an impressive ability to stay calm and collected, perhaps best demonstrated during the final when, struggling to come up with a brand identity for her 'new bourbon', her eureka moment came just two minutes before she went into a meeting with the design agency that would develop the brand. 'Urbon' was born, and proved to be a winning brand.
She's a great leader: Episode two saw Stella take charge of the rowdy boys' team, which she expertly managed - and led to victory.
She doesn’t let obstacles stand in her way: After a tough childhood spent living with relatives and in care homes, Stella left school with no qualifications. Not one to give up on success, she completed a one-year business course, got a job in an investment bank and worked her way up through the ranks to Head of Business Management.
She takes criticism on-board: In episode nine Lord Sugar branded her as “wooden” and “corporate”. Stella accepted the evaluation and responded by showing her fun side in the episode 10's tour guide task – even singing Knees up Mother Brown to a sparse open top bus at one point.
She’s a role model: Constantly professional, Stella was never bitchy in the boardroom, even when the knives were out. As a mum of two, she also proved to be a great role model for working mothers, saying "I hope I have shown that you can be a woman, a mother and be in business and do well. The thing about employing a mother is that we’re reliable – you can’t risk losing your job because you have other people to consider.”
Congratulations Stella; we think the best woman most definitely won!
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