LORD Sugar has enlisted a tough-talking Scot to help pick his new Apprentice tonight.
Mike Soutar, the publishing pioneer behind hit free magazines including ShortList and Stylist, takes centre stage as he quizzes the four finalists in the top-rated BBC show.
Executive assistant Helen Milligan, 30; marketing manager Jim Eastwood, 32; entrepreneur Susan Ma, 21; and inventor Tom Pellereau, 31, are all bidding to win the backing of Lord Sugar and £250,000 worth of investment.
They are given 48 hours to devise their business plans before facing an unrelenting barrage of interviews with some of Lord Sugar's most unforgiving associates including Mike, troubleshooter Claude Littner, chief executive Matthew Riley and fans' favourite Margaret Mountford.
Lord Sugar said: "They are all worthy finalists but only one of them will emerge victorious.
"Once my trusted colleagues get them under the microscope, I have no doubt flaws will be uncovered and we will see who truly warrants my investment."
Mike, who appeared briefly in episode seven of this series when the candidates had to invent a concept for a magazine and sell it to advertisers, gives the finalists a thorough going-over.
Let’s not forget the all-important interview performance. How might they stand up to the challenge, and just how much care and attention has gone into their business plans? On this criterion, I think that Helen may win it. Helen will have been meticulous in her preparation, and will defend her position cogently and unemotionally. Tom has been quite the numbers man, but may be too docile to handle the interrogation, and his nodding dog and Cheshire cat smiles, endearing though they are, might inflame the interviewers. Jim and Susan are the two who might have over embellished their vision and their financial forecasts. I can almost hear Susan whine, "It’s not fair" when the likes of Margaret or Claude pick over something she considers to be minor in her plan.
There is one crucial thought to bear in mind. Who will Sugar want to work with? Who will come up with the really innovative ideas and who will be easiest for him to mould? Here it is neck and neck between Tom and Helen. Susan will need much by way of nurture and we know that Sugar is no Mary Poppins. Jim may challenge Sugar too hard, or Sugar may be wary of falling under Jim’s hypnotic trance.
It is a tough call. Tom is the archetypal inventor and a fastidiously detailed numbers man. Helen is a sharp cookie, with a head for organisation, decisive management and delivery. Jim is a shrewd operator, with an infectious sales charm. Susan, young and scrappy, has business credibility at a young age. It is fair to say that they all have something to recommend them.
I think the top prize is likely to go to Helen once emotion is stripped out of the equation. She falls into that "complete package" description that all candidates believe about themselves, but few are.
I would love for Tom to win the competition though. Here is a real ideas man who embodies what we should have more of in business. He has honesty, integrity and an ability not to be consumed by what others perceive to be failure. Tom has been the shining light of this competition, the proof that you don’t need to be rough and tough for The Apprentice. For that and some very sound business skills, he should be crowned the champion for 2011.
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