How did you find your experience transitioning from youngest ever finalist on the Apprentice to developing your brand and company outside of the TV spotlight? 

“The apprentice was definitely one of the best experiences I’ve ever had, I remember whilst being at Westholme actually that I’d look forward to it on a Wednesday night as it was the only TV programme I was allowed to stay up and watch! The show catapulted me into a different world and I tried my best to say yes to every opportunity. The Aprentice gave me a platform but the real work has always been behind the scenes, the 3am problems that need solving, sacrificing a lot of social plans in order to build my business. I loved the show but I went on it to build my business skills, not for egotistical reasons so I was almost glad when the show stopped airing and I could get on with the actual business building.” 

How was your experience at Westholme? Did you have any favourite clubs/hobbies/subjects? 

We recently caught up with OW Camilla to congratulate her on her numerous recent achievements including being named ‘Top 10 female entrepreneurs making moves’ in Business Insider Magazine and ‘Top 10 women to watch list’ by Starling Bank.   

“I loved Westholme, I have such fond memories of being house captain and being involved in the swimming team, athletics team and running club. In addition, I was in every single school production, back when it was all girls I’d always end up playing the boy!  My favourite subjects were psychology, history and EPR. I do feel like attending Westholme really did arm me with a toolkit to be my most confident self which certainly helped in the Apprentice process, when you are constantly out of your comfort zone.”  

You visited Westholme in 2019 to inspire more generations of students at Westholme, what advice would you give to current students wishing to develop their passions in business/consulting? 

“My advice would be to get in a room with people who are doing what you want to do and learn from them/ ask them for their help. The biggest thing you can do for yourself when you’re starting out is to act like a human sponge and soak up information from people more knowledgeable in your desired field than you. Don’t ever be afraid to ask for advice, 99% of the time, people are more than willing to give it to you and being around the right people in business can be a huge catapult for the rest of your career.”  

How have you found your experience in consulting? What are your favourite parts and what do you find challenging? 

“I am very lucky to do what I love every day, I really do love working with businesses to turbo charge their growth and to look in on their operations with fresh eyes and advise them on how they could improve. No day is the same and for that I am thankful. The hardest thing is managing my time and ensuring I don’t overwork, as nobody can tell me to clock off, it's difficult to close the ever-growing tabs in my head. The most rewarding part is being able to work from anywhere, whether it be a coffee shop or on a beach!” 

What are your aspirations for the future?  

“I am a very ‘here and now’ person and always have been, so I try not to dwell too much on the future but in the immediate future, I wish to continue building my consultancy agency and work on exciting global campaigns with high profile clients. At some stage, I would like to get into business with family members, as they are all super driven too.  In which field I don’t yet know - but I feel like it would be fab to all be part of a big team working together.” 

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Thank you so much Camilla for taking the time out of what must be an incredibly busy schedule to speak with us! We are thrilled to hear of Camilla’s plethora of achievements and look forward to hearing from her in the future. 

To find out more about Camilla’s business and career, you can visit her website: 

Homepage - Camilla Ainsworth