Tim Campbell MBE was guest speaker at the Institute of Telecoms Professionals Annual Awards night which recognised the rising stars in the telecoms industry.
Campbell was Lord Sugar's first hired 'apprentice' and is currently Mayor of London Boris Johnson's advisor for Apprentices. He gained his MBE for Enterprise Culture and also founded the Bright Ideas Trust to support young business people.
"The ITP Awards Dinner showed us some shining examples of what can be achieved with hard work, dedication, and the right environment. I met some inspiring young people on the night and was also impressed with the level of support and recognition they receive to allow them to thrive," said Campbell.
"There is clearly a real commitment to apprentices within the industry and within the ITP, and I am sure they will go on to achieve amazing things especially with two of the most passionate women in this sector, CEO Ann Potterton and Chairman Lucy Woods, driving it forward."
Supporting companies at the Awards included Virgin Media, BT, Telent, Green Telecom and Level3.
The winners of the ITP awards 2013 were: Mentor of the Year - Dave Davis, iDirect; Higher Apprentice of the Year - James Mellor, BT; Advanced Apprentice of the Year- Kirsty Moir, BT; Intermediate Apprentice of the Year - Jekabs Dravnieks, Virgin Media; Christopher Mills Award - Christopher Akinlusi, BT.