Kate Walsh shot to fame on 2009's The Apprentice and has gone to host Live From Studio 5 and now OK! TV.
This week she is going back to her business roots as she teams up with The Prince's Trust and DYMO for a project in the centre of London.
I caught up with her to talk about the scheme, her new TV career and what lies ahead.
* You will be part of Live Office in London next month so can you tell me a little bit about it?
Oh it's going to be great event! I'm going to be in Finsbury Avenue we are going to have a live office with Perspex wall around the outside - I'm quite looking forward to seeing it in person because I have only seen the diagrams so far - and we are going to be stopping members of the city and asking them for their words of wisdom for budding entrepreneurs - ten words or less.
Using the DYMO plug and play labels we are going to be sticking the around the walls of our live office. And there is also going to be a chance of winning a £500 desk makeover - we are going to be picking someone at random from all the people who leave their little words of wisdom.
It's in association with the Prince's Trust, which is a charity that I have worked with before; actually when I was a graduate trainee I went to work at a brewery in the West Midlands and I did a twelve week Prince's Trust course working with disadvantaged youngsters to get them back into work.
It's a fantastic charity and DYMO are in partnership with them and will be giving £3 from every Plug And Play label machine to the Prince's Trust so it's great to be working with them.
* The campaign hopes to act as an inspiration for young people who are starting out in business so what pieces of advice would you give them?
I think for me, and this has been with me all through my career and on The Apprentice, lack of planning and preparation leads to poor performance.
I was the one in The Apprentice house, while all the other were maybe watching television, I would be, yeah a bit of a party pooper, but I would be in the bedroom preparing for the next day and going over my pitch.
I think whether you are going into an interview or a business presentation is just to rehearse, practice, make your notes and know what you are talking about becasue I think so many people think that they can wing it - often it can go really well but I have had some bad experiences from doing that in the past so always prepare.
* The world of business is still a world that is very male dominated so what advice would you give to women who are keen to set up their own business?
I think there are more opportunities for women these days but you only have to look at female board director to see that we are still under-represented in the market place, obviously if I had the answer to this I would be working as a politician and making it happen, but it really frustrates me.
I was on BBC's Big Questions not so long ago - it was off the back of Andy Gray and Richard Keys - and I was absolutely fuming because I hate the fact that there is, unfortunately, a lot of sexism in the workplace, and in particular industries. What they see as harmless male banter actually can make certain environments quite intimidating for a woman to be in.
This idiot on there was arguing 'oh you can just tell someone if you are offended by something' but if you are lower down the pecking order and perhaps just starting out you are not going to be able to tell a person in power 'actually I don't like the way that you are talking to me' or 'I don't find those kind of jokes funny I think it's appropriate in the workplace'.
There still needs to be a change in attitudes and as long as you have the Andy Gray and Richard Keys of this world making sexist remarks in the workplace then it's not ever truly going to be an equal playing field for women.
There needs to be some fundamental changes, and that can only come from the top really - those videos leaked and got out into the public domain and if they hadn't were the management just going to carry on letting that happen? It's just not acceptable and things like that make me quite mad - as you can tell.
And then to see Katie Hopkins, one of my fellow The apprentice candidates, on question time saying 'the nation has lost it's sense of humour' and 'who does Karen Brady think she is appointing herself the spokesperson of the sisterhood' that really made me mad and I just thought 'I find it hard to believe that they are your true feelings' I think that she was seeking headlines - which she got.
But I just thought that she had not been in that kind of situation where you have got stupid me being sexist and having this kind of banter. It's not nice for women and young women who don't feel able to... I have not problem telling people if I don't think something's appropriate but I know for other women it isn't so.
They are missing a trick these companies by not having women on the board when you look at women vs men on scales of leadership women score much higher on some of the characteristics and traits that make great leaders so it's unfortunate that in this day and age we don't have more equality.
* You took part in The Apprentice back in 2009 so how was your experience on the show when you look at it now?
Oh it was amazing. I really really loved every moment, as tough as it was. Me and Phillip are in totally different camps as far as this is concerned as he found it really tough and difficult, he wouldn't want to do it again, as much as it was tough and stressful I would do it again tomorrow.
You can't pay for an experience like that you learn so much about working with other people - that first day is such a shock. You go into the boardroom for the first time there's not introduction, you don't meet Lord Sugar off camera or Nick and Margaret, you are straight into that boardroom and it's exactly as you see it on the show.
Suddenly when you are use to being the outspoken one in the workplace or the confident one and then suddenly you are faced with eight other girls who are just as loud as you - if not louder all jostling for position. I think that you sink or swim in that situation and luckily for me I swam.
Some of the treats that we got, when we use to win the tasks, were amazing. And I got to meet some fantastic people, made some really good friends, obviously met my boyfriend so it has changed my life and I look back on it with nothing but fondness.
* You have found success in TV presenting most recently, and while that may not be exactly what you had in mind, are you glad that you missed out on being the winner?
No, looking back, yes - at the time I was heartbroken because I didn't know what I was going to do I was like 'oh my god I'm unemployed. I had given up so much, well I had given up a job, and I had moved to London - it was such a big gamble - and I was just worried about if it was going to pay off.
The Channel 5 thing came totally out of the blue, so it wasn't something that I went looking for, even after I had been for the screen test and they offered me the job I was a little bit worried how it would look on my CV if I wasn't very good at it and I only did it a short time.
It was a bit of a risk doing it but eighteen months down the line I'm really enjoying it and I can see that I have really improved at it and I have gained a whole new skill base and an understanding of a new industry.
At any point in the future should I go back into business I can do it with my head held high because I am proud of what I have achieved - also I can apply what I have learnt about this industry to whatever I do next so it has worked out really well.
* You are now presenting OK! TV with Matt Johnson so how are you finding that at the moment?
Oh I love it - Matt is a great guy. It's really nice to work with someone who, I guess, has come from a similar working class background as me and he is really grateful to have the opportunity to work in what is an amazing industry - so many people would love the opportunity to be a television presenter so I feel very lucky to have been given that chance.
Matt doesn't take it for granted, he hasn't got an ego or any diva demands he is just a down to earth guy with a great sense of humour - we just giggle a lot and there's a lot of banter.
We hit it off straight away, which is lucky really because we have to work together five days a week, and people keep saying 'oh there's chemistry' and ' do you fancy each other? Absolutely not if you were to see together it's very much a brother/sister type banter.
* Have you any plans to return to your business roots?
I don't know what my plan at the moment - which is quite nice for me. I always had a ten year plan up to going into The Apprentice but since this curve ball came along and I started TV presenting I have learnt to take a risk as you never know where that may lead.
So I have, kind of, changed my attitude a little bit and I'm going to see what happens and make the most of opportunities as they come along.
If this all ended tomorrow then absolutely I would consider going back into business and looking for the right opportunity - as I touched on before there may be a chance to combine what I have learnt in the world of TV and media with the business skills and the work that I had been doing ten years before I joined the Apprentice.
* Finally what's next for you?
Don't know (laughs) and I'm pleased to say I don't know. I'm going to be on OK! TV for the foreseeable future, and I'm really happy to be continuing that. Past OK! TV I'm really not sure - who know what new businesses and television programmes may be happening at that point in time and I just feel happy and lucky to be in that position.
It's really exciting not knowing what is coming next - and I never thought I would say that because I use to hate things being out of my control.
Kate Walsh has teamed up with DYMO and The Prince’s Trust to ask the country’s most successful business people to pass on their ‘little words of business wisdom’.
Kate will be hosting a ‘Live Office’ event in London’s Finsbury Square on Thursday 12th May where passing city workers can submit their advice using a new DYMO Plug and Play machine. Visit www.dymo.co.uk.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Kate Walsh shot to fame on 2009's The Apprentice and has gone to host Live From Studio 5 and now OK! TV.
This week she is going back to her business roots as she teams up with The Prince's Trust and DYMO for a project in the centre of London.
I caught up with her to talk about the scheme, her new TV career and what lies ahead.
* You will be part of Live Office in London next month so can you tell me a little bit about it?
Oh it's going to be great event! I'm going to be in Finsbury Avenue we are going to have a live office with Perspex wall around the outside - I'm quite looking forward to seeing it in person because I have only seen the diagrams so far - and we are going to be stopping members of the city and asking them for their words of wisdom for budding entrepreneurs - ten words or less.
Using the DYMO plug and play labels we are going to be sticking the around the walls of our live office. And there is also going to be a chance of winning a £500 desk makeover - we are going to be picking someone at random from all the people who leave their little words of wisdom.
It's in association with the Prince's Trust, which is a charity that I have worked with before; actually when I was a graduate trainee I went to work at a brewery in the West Midlands and I did a twelve week Prince's Trust course working with disadvantaged youngsters to get them back into work.
It's a fantastic charity and DYMO are in partnership with them and will be giving £3 from every Plug And Play label machine to the Prince's Trust so it's great to be working with them.
* The campaign hopes to act as an inspiration for young people who are starting out in business so what pieces of advice would you give them?
I think for me, and this has been with me all through my career and on The Apprentice, lack of planning and preparation leads to poor performance.
I was the one in The Apprentice house, while all the other were maybe watching television, I would be, yeah a bit of a party pooper, but I would be in the bedroom preparing for the next day and going over my pitch.
I think whether you are going into an interview or a business presentation is just to rehearse, practice, make your notes and know what you are talking about becasue I think so many people think that they can wing it - often it can go really well but I have had some bad experiences from doing that in the past so always prepare.
* The world of business is still a world that is very male dominated so what advice would you give to women who are keen to set up their own business?
I think there are more opportunities for women these days but you only have to look at female board director to see that we are still under-represented in the market place, obviously if I had the answer to this I would be working as a politician and making it happen, but it really frustrates me.
I was on BBC's Big Questions not so long ago - it was off the back of Andy Gray and Richard Keys - and I was absolutely fuming because I hate the fact that there is, unfortunately, a lot of sexism in the workplace, and in particular industries. What they see as harmless male banter actually can make certain environments quite intimidating for a woman to be in.
This idiot on there was arguing 'oh you can just tell someone if you are offended by something' but if you are lower down the pecking order and perhaps just starting out you are not going to be able to tell a person in power 'actually I don't like the way that you are talking to me' or 'I don't find those kind of jokes funny I think it's appropriate in the workplace'.
There still needs to be a change in attitudes and as long as you have the Andy Gray and Richard Keys of this world making sexist remarks in the workplace then it's not ever truly going to be an equal playing field for women.
There needs to be some fundamental changes, and that can only come from the top really - those videos leaked and got out into the public domain and if they hadn't were the management just going to carry on letting that happen? It's just not acceptable and things like that make me quite mad - as you can tell.
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