Apprentice lightweight is in business

FIVE dreaded words will long echo in the head of Alexa Tilley.

"You're a lightweight - you're fired!" was what Sir Alan Sugar told her when she was sacked from the hit BBC show The Apprentice.

Alexa told all about her experience on the show when she was the guest speaker last week at a Hertfordshire Young Professionals event entitled Are You the Next Big Thing?

The day, organised by North Hertfordshire College, invited young professionals and local business people from across the county to listen to Alexa as she relived her favourite and memorable moments from the show, and spoke about what she has gained from the experience.

These included her infamous chicken tikka pizza incident and the accusation that the girls used their feminine charms to gain an advantage selling fruit and vegetables in the first task.

Explaining her motivation for being on the show, Alexa said she wanted to be the apprentice because it was the ultimate business opportunity.

She also hoped to learn a lot from Sir Alan himself, seeing how he operates his own successful business empire.

She recalled: "This was a fantastic opportunity for me getting involved in The Apprentice.

"I learnt a lot about myself and also gained a greater awareness of team dynamics and how to deal with different team players. I have also experienced being face to face with Sir Alan, across a boardroom table!"

Alexa is now back to her regular job working as a management consultant for Capgemini in London, where she has worked since leaving university.

In the future she hopes to use her experience as a starting point to encourage more young people into the business world.

She also believes that she can share a lot from her experience with the clients she works with day-to-day.

As part of the event held in Stevenage, Alexa also spoke to 20 learners on a variety of business courses at the college.