You can’t but help admire Alan Sugar – or, to use his correct title, ‘Sir’ Alan. Born in Hackney, 63 years ago today, on March 22, 1947, the natural entrepreneur was making more money than his garment factory worker father, at just 13.

From boiling beetroots for his local greengrocer, to founding Amstrad (‘Alan Michael Sugar Trading’) in 1968, the international consumer electronics, telecommunications and computer empire valued at £1.2 billion at its peak, Sir Alan was knighted in 2000.

Now worth an estimated £790 million, and 71st in The Sunday Times Rich List 2006, he is most famous for his role in BBC television’s The Apprentice, in which business high-fliers compete against one another in a 12 week long series of tasks to win a job in Sir Alan’s business empire.

On 20 July 2009, Sir Alan Sugar gook his seat in the House of Lords.

Although he doesn’t suffer fools, he gives generously to charity, and does much work promoting the values of enterprise amongst alienated young people. 

When it comes to Birthday Gifts for Sir Alan, he would relish an experience involving a challenge. Birthday Gift Ideas along the lines of learning to fly a helicopter would go down a treat, as he likes to test his brain cells to achieve something that can’t be bought.