YASMINA – YOU’RE HIRED!.

After the job interview from hell with tycoon, Sir Alan Sugar, 27 year-old restaurateur, Yasmina Siadatan, has beaten 14 other candidates to land the coveted six-figure salary job, with the self-made millionaire, who has over 40 years of experience under his belt.

Yasmina follows in the footsteps of last year’s winner, Lee McQueen, and previous winners Simon Ambrose (2207), Michelle Dewberry (2006) and Tim Campbell (2005).

In last night’s final task, Yasmina battled it out with 27 year-old Licensing Development Manager, Kate Walsh, managing a team of this year’s fired candidates in the toughest task to date – designing an original box of chocolates, creating a brand and advertisement, and presenting them to a room full of industry experts.

Although Yasmina and her team – consisting of Howard, Lorraine, James and Philip got off to a shaky start, she quickly pulled herself and her team together and held a focus group, before deciding to target consumers searching for an “electrifying” chocolate experience. With a strong brand identity in place with “Cocoa Electric,” and a confident pitch Yasmina won over both the experts and Sir Alan, despite the actual chocolates being accused of lacking in quality.

Meanwhile, Kate’s team – consisting of Ben, Debra, Kimberly and Rocky, designed “Choc D’Amour”, a three-tier box of chocolates aimed at couples enjoying a romantic night in. But Kate’s high prices didn’t fit with her positioning in the mass consumer market as a credit-crunch alternative to a night out. However, Sir Alan did compliment her on the innovative idea and outstanding quality of the product.

In the nail-biting final boardroom scene, Sir Alan told the girls that choosing who to hire would be the hardest decision he had ever had to make over the past five series. He told them: “You are two very, very, very good finalists.”

When Sir Alan asked Yasmina what she’d learned over the last twelve weeks, she replied: “The highlights for me were doing things I’ve never done before, and finding that I’d done them well. Yesterday I pulled it off… that was such a massive personal achievement to know that I could do that, and can go and do it again…I know you don’t want to take a risk on me, but letting me slip through your hands would be a much bigger risk.”

Yasmina confidently answered Sir Alan’s tough questions on her already successful restaurant business, by telling him: “All it should say (owning my own business) is that I’m damn good at what I do and that I’ve got a creativity and a spark about me and I’m a risk taker. Right now I’m determined, I’m eager to learn….I’ve grown up as a natural businessperson… I look at everything from a business perspective and I think that’s the main difference between me and Kate.”

Sir Alan decided on his winner and said: “It’s a tough decision. You are the best that I’ve ever had in the final in this boardroom, that I promise you. My instincts are telling me… Yasmina… YOU’RE HIRED!”

After the final Yasmina said: “I really believed (that I was going to win), until I met Kate!… I’m absolutely up for it. I think Sir Alan knows my qualities, the best way to make use of me.”

Sir Alan said: “Yasmina seemed to have that real business instinct, not just in sales or anything like that, but (she’s) innovative and understands the plot of where we’re going… It’s gut instinct… I can’t explain it.”

He also commented on Kate, saying: “She’s got nothing to worry about. She’s a very bright young lady… Any time she wants to call me for any advice or anything like that, she’s welcome to.”

Yasmina will take up a role at Amscreen, Sir Alan’s digital signage company. She will be working in the firm’s healthcare division, where she will be responsible for building up a team of sales people. This division is tasked with supplying doctor’s surgeries and hospitals with free-of-charge digital signage units, upon which adverts and patient messages will be shown. It is expected that Yasmina will start her new job with Amscreen in the coming weeks.

Press Contact Taylor Herring PR 0208 206 5151