UK series seven

Ellie Reed

Born in Bradford, Yorks, Ellie is the co-founder and managing director of Shipley-based recruitment firm A&E Construction. She graduated from Sheffield Hallam University in 1999 with a degree in psychology. She is a keen golfer and is a dog-owner. Ellie was fired on the fifth episode of the show, in a double-firing with Vincent. A survivor of cervical cancer, Ellie campaigns for women to undergo regular smear tests and has established her own consultancy firm to encourage young people into business careers.

Natasha Scribbins

Natasha Scribbins, from Taunton, Somerset, is a manager at construction and property recruitment firm KOBALLT. She graduated from Bournemouth University with a degree in hospitality management. She was fired in week 11 of the series, and later agreed with Lord Sugar that she "had run out of gas".

Glenn Ward

Senior Design Engineer Glenn, from Hertfordshire, was fired in week 7. Glenn is a keen amateur footballer who cites Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg as his inspiration. He was fired in Week 7, when his 'Hip Replacement' magazine met with heavy criticism.

Edna Agbarha

Edna Agbarha, 36, was a London-based business psychologist prior to filming. She has a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of East London, a master's degree in occupational psychology from Goldsmiths, University of London, and an MBA qualification from Imperial College Business School. During the process, Edna lead her team to a win in Week 2, but was fired in Week 6 after enjoying 5 successive wins. She later expressed regret about her approach in the boardroom, saying she should have highlighted to Lord Sugar her professional experience rather than her academic qualifications. She continues to freelance as a business psychologist through her consultancy firm Agbarha People Consulting, has launched a mobile phone application that provides coaching tips to develop individuals' everyday skills called Edna's Talent Booster, and is developing a range of gloves.

Zoe Beresford

Zoe Beresford has a masters degree in manufacturing, engineering and management from the University of Nottingham, where she was awarded a Rolls-Royce Manufacturing Technology Prize for the School of Engineering's highest dissertation mark. She is 26, lives in Arclid, Cheshire and worked as a Project Manager for a drinks manufacturer until January 2011, when she was appointed territory manager for an outdoor/snow footwear retail company. She suffered two bouts of cancer, aged 15 and 18. She was fired in week 9 of the series.

Alex Britez Cabral

28 year old Alex is Manager of an Estate Agency. Alex was fired on the second episode of the show after large criticism that he was a follower and lacked leadership potential.

Vincent Disneur

Vincent Disneur stepped up to lead the team in the fifth week of the interview process and was subsequently fired.

Leon Doyle

Leon is a 26 year old University of Huddersfield graduate who lives in Leeds and founded the business 'The Master Menu'. He was fired on the 22nd of June (week 8), during a task concerning taking British products into the French Market. He was accused of not contributing enough to the task and using the language barrier as an excuse.

Jim Eastwood

"Jedi" Jim as he has come to be refered to, is 32 years old and from Northern Ireland. He first started working in a fish and chip shop. Jim was once Teenage All Ireland Cycling Champion. The Title "Jedi" comes from Jim's seemingly natural abilty to bend others to his will, even going as far as to convince Leon (The Project Manager of the task) to change his mind about taking him back to the boardroom for the final three to get fired, which was a first for the show. A naturally talented Salesman, Jim also managed to get a compliment from Nick Hewer on his skills with Nick going as far as to say he 'likes' Jim. Jim also got 'The World's Greatest Salesperson' from Lord Sugar himself.

Melody Hossaini

Melody Hossaini, born in Iran and living in Walsall, holds a 2:1 degree in law from Oxford Brookes University, and works internationally as a consultant in the youth work and social enterprise sectors.She was fired in week 10.

Edward Hunter

Edward is a 25 year old accountant who was trained by one of the United Kingdom's leading accountancy firms. Edward was the first candidate to be fired after being Project Manager of the losing team in the first week.

Felicity Jackson

Felicity attended St Albans High School for Girls, and then attended secretarial college. Felicity was fired in the fourth episode of the show. She now works at a business media organisation called Terrapin.

Susan Ma

Susan is a 21 year old Managing Director of Tropic Skin Care Ltd. She graduated in 2010 from University College London with a 2:1 in Philosophy and Economics. Susan led her team to victory in week 3 and 8 as Project Manager and broke an Apprentice record in week 8. She has been described by Nick Hewer as "a little force to be reckoned with"... In the final of Series 7, she, along with fellow contestants Helen Milligan and Jim Eastwood, was fired as inventor Tom Pellereau went on to win the series.[citation needed] In You're Hired!, Lord Sugar said that he had always wished to be associated with skin care business, and that with Tom's nail filer on board, he would keep in touch with Susan to assemble a team.

Helen Milligan

Following a degree from De Montfort University in Law (2:1), Helen worked as a Business Development Support Manager at BB’s Coffee and Muffins. Most recently she has acted as an executive assistant to the CEO following a spell as a regional manager for Gregg’s in the Midlands.[21] Helen holds the record for the highest number of successive Apprentice wins - Helen was on the winning team for the first nine tasks before losing in Week 10. Previously, the record was held by James Max, who won six consecutive tasks in Series 1. She also holds the record for the best performance in the series (10-1 win/lose ratio) and holds the joint record for success a project manager 3-0, with series five winner Yasmina Siadatan. She was the Runner-Up.

Tom Pellereau

Tom was educated at Twyford School, a co-educational independent school in the village of Twyford in Hampshire, before moving to St Edward's School, Oxford aged 13. He achieved a 1st class degree as well as a masters in Mechanical Engineering and Innovation from the University of Bath. His ambition has always been to be an inventor and this is reflected by his continued approach to product development. Some of his inventions to date have included: the Stylfile (a curved nail file), an Ethical Goods brand that connects brands with relevant charities, Mode Diagnostics (bowel cancer screening tool), Babisil (first collapsible silicon baby bottle) and the Amadeus acoustic screen for musicians. Tom is the winner of The Apprentice from series seven.. Tom is also dyslexic.

Tom Pellereau strikes a blow for great British inventors

Lord Sugar told his budding apprentices: “I’ve never met an engineer who can turn his hand to business.” Well, it looks to me as if he’s finally seen the light: Tom Pellereau, this year’s winner of The Apprentice, is a self-confessed inventor.

It’s easy to scoff at Tom’s first invention, the Stylfile (“You’re nails aren’t flat, so why are nail files?”), which he made in his kitchen after studying engineering at Bath University. But it’s people like him – the dogged inventors and obsessive engineers – who give every good business its foundation. Alan knows that without them, he wouldn’t have made his fortune. So it doesn’t surprise me that he hired one of them.

In Britain, we are too quick to champion the money-men who spin a quick buck. Let’s hope that Tom’s success marks a return to the celebration of the creative, logical, problem-solving men – those like Babbage and Turing who pioneered the computers that evolved into Amstrads and the PC.

It wasn’t that long ago that I was battling away with the 5,216 prototypes that preceded my first fully functioning bagless vacuum cleaner. This exhaustive approach is a very British one, and it still exists. I knew from the outset that I had an idea which would blow the socks off the vacuum cleaning industry. So I toiled away, exhaustively refining every tiny detail. Unfortunately for me, the major manufacturers weren’t interested, so I went it alone.

Dyson is searching high and low to recruit engineering graduates; we’re doubling our research and development team to 700. Perhaps a new engineering celebrity will lead to more students taking up design and engineering. Design and technology is the most popular GCSE choice – but it’s not being followed through.

Tom’s curvy nail file might not yet be in the same league as the Mini or the jet engine, but it’s a great example of British inventive spirit. The James Dyson Award, which seeks to support young inventors, has had some fantastic designs submitted to it this year. There are two weeks until the closing date, but I’ve already seen some superb examples of problem-solving. Ideas such as collapsible bicycle helmets, an emergency inflatable capsule and the weight-shifting mobile are all competing for this year’s top prize of £20,000.

We British are a clever and ingenious bunch when we put our minds to it. Let’s celebrate Tom’s victory, but let that not be the end of it. In our schools and colleges, there are modest heroes waiting to fulfil their potential. Believe it or not, they’ll lead us forward. Ideas are our currency and the world is hungry for them.