By Vicki Owen

Winners of Financial Mail’s Apprentice Challenge were presented with their certificates by HRH The Princess Royal at a prestigious Celebration of Women in IT event hosted by The Mail on Sunday last week.

The winners of the competition for young women – to design, cost and bring to market an innovative beauty product – were joined by winners of the CWT everywoman in Technology awards, who also received their certificates from Princess Anne.

Calling themselves Ultra Visible, the six girls from Kendrick School in Reading were one of three teams to reach the NatWest Apprentice Challenge live final at Financial Mail’s Breaking the Mould careers conference last week.

Josie Thum, Rachel Davey, Victoria Wyndham, Seren Charles, Alicia Hughes-White and Sherrie Talgeri came up with the idea of brightly-coloured make up that glows in the dark for the national competition and went on to win £3,000 for their school and £100 each at the conference on Monday 14 March.

The girls pitched their idea to beauty buyers from the John Lewis Partnership – with the help of NatWest business advisers – and were quizzed by Apprentice Challenge judges in front of an audience of more than 350 girls and teachers last week before winning the competition and getting the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet HRH The Princess Royal.

Held at The Mail on Sunday offices in Kensington in association with WISE (Women into Science, Engineering and Construction) – of which Princess Anne is royal patron – the Celebration of Women in IT event last night was attended by more than 100 senior guests, including Lady Rothermere, wife of the chairman of the Daily Mail and General Trust and patron of Financial Mail’s Breaking the Mould conference; the Lord Mayor and Mayoress’ of Kensington, and high achieving women in science, technology and engineering.

>> A video from the event will be added to our YouTube channel soon

>> More pictures will be added to our Facebook Group – FMWF: Women in Business

>> Click here to read more about the NatWest Apprentice Challenge

>> Watch a video of the winning team – Ultra Visible – pitching their idea to beauty buyers from the John Lewis Partnership:

Three winning tickets have been chosen for NatWest’s raffle at the Breaking the Mould conference at the Royal Institution on Monday 14 March.

The three winners – with the tickets BLUE 8, BLUE 23 and YELLOW 78 – have each won a mini cricket bat signed by Charlotte Edwards, captain of the England women’s cricket team.

Charlotte Edwards was one of the inspirational speakers at Financial Mail’s career conference for girls this month. Read more about it here.

>> The winners should email vicki.owen@mailonsunday.co.uk to collect the prize

>> Photos from the day are being added to the FMWF: Women in Business Facebook group here

By Vicki Owen

Make-up that glows in the dark is the bright idea that won six female students the prestigious Financial Mail Apprentice Challenge competition.

The girls, aged 15 to 16, from Kendrick School in Reading won £3,000 for their school and £100 each in our nationwide contest to invent, cost and bring to market a beauty product.

The team will be presented with their trophy by Princess Anne at a special event being held by Financial Mail this week. Sponsors NatWest have offered to help the winning team and the two runner-up teams launch their products.

The Kendrick team’s product, called Ultra Visible, was declared the winner in front of an audience of more than 350 students and teachers at the climax of Financial Mail’s science and technology-themed Breaking the Mould careers conference on Monday in Mayfair, central London.

The finalists had received help from NatWest business advisers to refine the financial aspects of their bids and were filmed as they pitched their products to professional beauty buyers from the John Lewis Partnership.

The teams faced gruelling questioning from the Apprentice Challenge judges, led by Peter Ibbetson, chairman of small business for the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, in the ‘boardroom’ at the live final.

Judges Nicky Kinnaird, founder of beauty boutique Space NK, Olcay Gulsen, founder of fashion label Supertrash, and Liz Locke, star of BBC1′s The Apprentice, were impressed by Ultra Visible’s eye-catching advertising campaign and thorough knowledge of their product, including the science behind it.

Team members Josie Thum, Rachel Davey, Victoria Wyndham, Seren Charles, Alicia Hughes-White and Sherrie Talgeri estimated that they could sell their make-up pack for £9 and make a profit in three years. But the John Lewis beauty buyers advised them to consider a higher price.

The runner-up teams – Free Spirit from Dame Alice Harpur School in Bedford, who designed an all-in-one travel nail polish product containing base coat, nail polish and nail polish remover wipes, and Target from Copthall School in Mill Hill, north London, who designed a spot balm in a locket – collected cheques for £1,500 for their respective schools and £100 each.

NatWest said it was thrilled to support a competition that encouraged enterprise in young people and saw commercial potential in all three finalists’ products. Peter Ibbetson said: ‘All the contenders did a fantastic job positioning their products and convincing me how great they were. I was amazed at the talent and can see all of them as outstanding entrepreneurs.’

By Vicki Owen

Some of the top female role models gathered at the Royal Institution in Mayfair, central London, last week to inspire a generation of young women to think in adventurous ways about their approach to work.

Model-turned-entrepreneur Caprice Bourret joined other stars in lending their support to the Breaking the Mould conference on Monday – the fourth such careers conference that Financial Mail has organised.

Also there were England women’s cricket captain Charlotte Edwards, Sara Murray, founder of confused.com and GPS personal navigation tracker buddi, and Emma Harrison, founder of employment agency A4e.

In recognition of the importance of encouraging young women to consider a wide range of career opportunities, the science and technology-themed event received sponsorship from some of Britain’s best-known organisations and companies, including NatWest, O2 and the Food and Drink Federation.

Speakers on the Science on the High Street panel included Clare Norman, technical and development manager for Tesco, Julie McManus, scientific director for L’Oreal UK, and June Kenton, founder of Rigby and Peller, who talked about the science behind bras.

>> The films will be shown as part of the teams’ pitches to the judges at Financial Mail’s Breaking the Mould careers conference for young women on Monday 14 March.

By Gaynor Pengelly

Three schools have reached the finals of the prestigious Financial Mail on Sunday and NatWest Apprentice Challenge competition.

Kendrick School, Reading, Copthall Barnet School, London, and Dame Alice Harpur, Bedford, beat off some truly impressive teams in the heats to get to the finals – to be held at the Royal Institution, Piccadilly, on Monday (14^th March).

The challenge for entrants was to invent, cost and bring to market a beauty product.

Kendrick’s team, Ultravisible, came up with the idea of brightly-coloured neon make-up which glows in the dark, while Copthall Barnet’s team, Target, designed a blemish cream to be contained in a fashionable locket. Dame Alice Harpur’s team, Free Spirit, designed a stylish nail polish product, which would be useful for when travelling.

The three schools came to London last week to meet with NatWest business advisors who gave them support with their business plan and advice on how to pitch their ideas to buyers from John Lewis.

The winner will be announced on the 14th March at the dazzling finals of the NatWest Apprentice Challenge competition, in front of an audience of 400 girls and teachers from across the UK.

Three teams will face gruelling questioning from Peter Ibbetson, chairman of small business for RBS, Nicky Kinnaird, founder of iconic beauty boutique Space NK, Olcay Gulsen, founder of Supertrash, the LA-IT girl fashion label and Liz Locke, star of the BBC’s Apprentice.

The winner will be awarded a trophy by HRH Princess Anne in a special event held by The Mail on Sunday on the 22nd March. The winning School will also receive a top prize of £3,000.

This will be Financial Mail on Sunday’s fourth Breaking the Mould conference, alongside lead sponsor NatWest.

Britain’s brightest and best female role models are gathering at The Royal Institution, Piccadilly to inspire a generation of young women to reach their full potential.

Influential and successful women from the world of business, science, media and show business will encourage young adults from the UK’s girl’s schools to aim high in their careers.

In recognition of the importance of encouraging young women to consider a wide range of career opportunities, the event has received sponsorship from some of Britain’s best-known organisations and companies, including NatWest, O2 and the Food and Drink Federation.

This day-long event showcases inspirational women who have chosen careers in science and technology.  Its aim is to prove that science does not have to be confined to a laboratory and technology is not a career for boys only.

English cricket captain, Charlotte Edwards will lead a panel on the science of sport while RBS Moneysense expert Maxine Norris will head up a panel teaching students on how to manage their finances when they take their first step to independence.

Phillippa Williamson, chief executive of the Serious Fraud Office will lead a panel looking at the business of ’sleuthing’ while Julie McManus, scientific director  at L’Oreal UK will talk about her role at the scientific forefront of the world’s leading beauty products in Science on the High Street.

The mighty O2 will head a panel looking at jobs in the technology sector while the Food and Drink Federation will sponsor an exciting set of talks involving careers in food industries, from Coca-Cola to biscuits.

Classical singing sensation Laura Wright, newly signed to Universal Decca will talk about the science of music and how she cut her first record deal with a major label at 15.

Lisa Buckingham OBE, editor of Financial Mail on Sunday, says:  ‘It seems extraordinary that when girls perform so much better academically and achieve higher grades at university they still have to struggle in the workplace on lower pay and with poorer promotion prospects.

‘This conference aims to encourage young women to consider the very widest range of career possibilities to ensure they reach their real potential.  With youngsters today likely to be in full time work until they hit 70, it is more important than ever that those years are spent in a fulfilling and rewarding way.

‘By listening to women who have built stimulating careers and who remain in love with the jobs they do, we hope today’s audience will be excited at what the world of work may have to offer.’

>> Visit our FMWF YouTube channel to see films of last year’s Apprentice Challenge finalists. Films of this year’s teams preparing in their schools, pitching to John Lewis, and pitching to the judges at the Breaking the Mould conference will be added to the YouTube channel after the conference on Monday 14.

>> Watch a clip of last year’s Apprentice Challenge winners. They were tasked with inventing a game to teach personal finance education in schools:

Liz Locke the glamorous investment banker who was tipped to win the last series of the BBC’s Apprentice is to judge 2011 Breaking the Mould NatWest Apprentice Challenge.

Locke is a wonderful role model for young women –  praised by Lord Sugar for her “shrewd, high energy,” she went on to make Apprentice history when she struck a £119,000 deal with a major retailer to sell Babyglow suits, sleepwear that changes colour when a baby gets too hot.

Locke fell at the final hurdle of The Apprentice when she went up against the programme’s most controversial contestant, Stuart Baggs.

Despite not winning, Locke walked away from the series as the first candidate in the show’s history to receive an apology and admission of regret from Lord Sugar.
A first class honours graduate in BSc Accounting and Finance at Birmingham University, led to Locke joining the front office of two global investment banks.

Firstly as a sales person on the fixed income trading floor at UBS, then Deutsch Bank private wealth management, where she helped build the brand and develop a sports and media division.

Locke now intends to pursue a successful business career whilst also being actively involved in motivating and inspiring young people to push boundaries and follow their dreams.

‘Financial Mail on Sunday’s Breaking the Mould conference is a wonderful opportunity for young women to meet inspirational role models and help them to decide which career path to choose, says Locke.

‘It’s a privilege to be judging the Moneysense Apprentice Challenge competition and meeting some of the young business stars of the future.’

‘Never underestimate your capabilities; provided you are open-minded, ambitious, willing to learn and determined to succeed you can achieve extraordinary things! Stay true to yourself and be proud of your achievements.’

>>Read more about Liz Locke here.

Winners of the Apprentice Challenge at Financial Mail’s Breaking the Mould careers conference in March will be given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to receive certificates recognising their success from HRH the Princess Royal.

The winning team will be invited to a reception in London where they will meet high achieving women in science, technology and engineering and where Princess Anne will present prizes.

HRH the Princess Royal is patron of WISE – Women into Science, Engineering and Construction – and is said to be passionate about encouraging girls to consider careers in these fields.

In addition to our winners, HRH will meet entrepreneurs in the fields of science and technology who have been nurtured by Apprentice Challenge sponsors, NatWest , and she will recognise the winners of this year’s everywoman science and technology awards.

Lisa Buckingham, editor of Financial Mail on Sunday which organises the Breaking the Mould series of conferences said: ‘This is a remarkable opportunity for the winners of our Apprentice Challenge. Not only will they have the experience of the live final in front of an audience of nearly 400 at the Royal Institution, they will have the pleasure of collecting their school’s winning cheque of £3,000 from our patron Lady Claudia Rothermere and will now also be able to celebrate their success with the chance to meet HRH the Princess Royal.’

Contestants in this year’s Apprentice Challenge have been asked to invent a beauty product of their choice, to design packaging and draw up a business plan. Finalists will then have access to a NatWest business adviser to help them refine the financial aspects of their bid. They will then pitch their product to professional beauty buyers of the John Lewis Partnership.

Our judging team, led by Nicki Kinaird, founder of the iconic Space NK High Street beauty chain, will quiz the finalists live at the Breaking the Mould careers conference to be held at the Royal Institution in London’s Mayfair on March 14.

The whole event will be filmed and broadcast on our YouTube channel.

Kinnaird is a tremendous role model for young women, using her vision and business acumen to create a truly unique retail space, stocked with iconic beauty products from the world’s most innovative brands.

Kinnaird’s philosophy behind Space NK came when she opened her first store in Covent Garden in 1993.

She wanted to create a retail space like no other that stocked a highly personal selection of the beauty products she had discovered and coveted on her travels, along with informative, unbiased advice.

Today, Space NK has grown to include 60 stores in the UK and 19 stores in the US.

With a global reputation as a visionary entrepreneur, Nicky has single-handedly changed the way we shop and appreciate beauty. 

Pioneering a unique retail concept, she has discovered some of the UK’s most iconic brands, such as Eve Lom, Dr Brandt, By Terry, Nars, Laura Mercier, Chantecaille, and Diptyque.

>> Click here to visit our Breaking the Mould section

 ‘It’s a privilege to be invited to the Breaking the Mould conference, says Kinnaird. ‘Financial Mail on Sunday’s conference is a wonderful opportunity for young women to meet inspirational role models and help them to decide which career path to choose.’

‘I am looking forward to judging the Moneysense Apprentice Challenge competition and meeting some of the budding beauty entrepreneurs of the future.’