LADY Michelle Mone has revealed her number one idea as the government’s new business tsar – X Factor for bankers.
In August Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the bra brand founder would be heading up a review of small businesses as the government’s new “entrepreneur tsar.”
Since taking up the post she has travelled the length of the country, reviewing how to best encourage business engagement in areas of high unemployment.
But now the Glasgow-born businesswoman has revealed one of her top tips for high-flying corporations – an X Factor style employment process.
Discussing diversity in the banking sector in a recent interview Mone – reported to be worth around £20m – said: “HSBC – wouldn’t it be incredible if they were to have like an X Factor for people who wanted to come and work there?
“Simon Cowell started it for singing. Maybe I can start if for business.”
During the interview with The Times magazine she was not willing to disclose her plans for the small business review – but she did make the bizarre suggestion of an X Factor style employment process to improve diversity in the City.
She also made a number of other revelations, including that she has already designed her own coat of arms.
It is said that it features a Scottish deer and a labrador – in memory of Ozzie, her family dog who died last year.
Mone also revealed that her mother made her remove a controversial Twitter post which caused an uproar in September.
The post showed her drying a sweatshirt on the dashboard of a chauffeured government Jaguar.
It read: “The things you do…in Government car drying my travel top…love it so much.”
The post caused outrage online – with commenters claiming that the millionaire businesswoman was boasting about using a luxury car funded by the taxpayer.
Mone deleted the Tweet shortly after posting it.
In the interview Mone revealed that it was her mother who told her to take it down, recalling that her mother told her: “You cannot dry your top in a government car! Get that down.”
Mone, born in the East End of Glasgow, went on to found lingerie firm Ultimo in her 20s after leaving school in her teens.
Now living in London, she sold an 80% stake in the business in a multi-million pound deal last year.
In late August – shortly after it was announced that Mone would be heading up the government’s small business review – Cameron also announced that she would be receiving a life peerage.
