Sugar and spice

Sir, Sir Alan Sugar sexist (Peter Riddell, June 6)? As a woman who has worked closely with him for the past four years, I beg to differ. He is not interested in your sex, only whether you know what you are doing and whether you can deliver. He doesn’t suffer fools gladly, but he certainly doesn’t discriminate when passing judgment on those he does business with. I have enjoyed his pithy observations on men and women alike, as well as being on the receiving end of them. He can also take criticism himself. His straight talking will be as much a breath of fresh air in Whitehall as it has been in television. And for the record, that curmudgeonly exterior hides a heart of gold — although he won’t thank me for saying so.