Apprentice star and business guru Karren Brady visited Hendon to tell students about the lessons she learned in becoming one of the UK’s most successful businesswomen.

She told the 250-strong audience to follow their dreams and “never ever ever give up hope” during her speech at Middlesex University, in The Burroughs, on Wednesday.

The 44-year-old said: “Opportunities will come to you if you’re open to them and are willing to work for them.”

Ms Brady became the UK’s youngest managing director of a PLC when she floated Birmingham City Football Club on the stock market in the 1990s, and was recently awarded a CBE in the Queen’s New Year's Honours list for her services to entrepreneurship and women in business.

Born in Edmonton, Ms Brady told students there are a lot of opportunities to network with business leaders in north London.

She said: “There are lots of great people to talk to, lots of different business networks, your own university here and all sorts of other connections. Look at what’s going on and get yourself to events.”

Ms Brady rounded off her talk by giving the budding businessmen and women of the future five ingredients they need to be successful in business: leadership, ambition, determination, the right attitude and a sense of knowing the direction they want to go in.