Peter Kellner

President of YouGov, political commentator and journalist

Slowly but inexorably, our gloom about our living standards has been lifting. It's not that confidence has come roaring back. Pessimists still outnumber optimists. However, increasingly, we feel that the worst is behind us.

Karren Brady

Businesswoman, Vice Chairman of West Ham FC and a LifeSkills Ambassador

I would argue that too many businesses are reluctant to take the risk on a young person without any experience. Turned on its head, that small risk could actually be a life-changing opportunity to set a young person on course for a truly bright future. So, I think every business needs to consider whether they are doing enough to support young people in their communities to first gain work experience, and then to move into employment. We cannot expect schools or parents alone to support a young person into work. In my view, businesses are a vital part of the equation.

Seth Freedman

Whistleblower at the centre of the UK gas price-fixing story

Damage limitation was the order of the day at Centrica on Monday, but the British Gas parent parent company knows its public image has been hammered once again on the back of its latest trading update.

Harriet Lamb

CEO of Fairtrade International in Bonn, Germany and First Women Awards 2013 nominee

The head office of Fairtrade International is in the leafy, genteel city of Bonn, former capital of Germany. So when I got my dream job leading Fairtrade's international work, I moved here swapping London's electric mayhem for the peace of the cycle route along the Rhine.

Anita Brook

Founder of Accounts Assist and First Women Awards 2013 nominee

It is often a surprise to people when they learn about the organisations out there who are using accounting skills to really make a difference in some of the world's poorest countries.

Rui Zamith

Co-founder of Internwise

At some businesses internships are used strategically to identify talented people for hiring, whether now or in the future, and others use them as manpower for valuable research projects. It's time to change mentality that interns are hired to make tea, take photocopies or file papers.

Korina Karampela

Founder of b4iapply, author, career strategy consultant

Like many people, George is dissatisfied with his current job. He wants to make a change but he doesn't really know what direction to take. For those in a similar situation, here are some tips to consider:

Neeta Patel

CEO, New Entrepreneurs Foundation

Perfecting your pitch won't come straight away. You need to practice at home, first on your own and then in front of an audience willing to be critical. Take their comments on board and practise some more.

Nick Liddell

Nick Liddell is Director of Strategy at Dragon Rouge, the world's largest independent design and innovation network

In putting together our book 'Business is Beautiful' I and my co-authors at Dragon Rouge looked at businesses all over the world, from Hong Kong to Tanazania and from electric car makers to textiles. In doing so we were able to outline a number of rules for the successful businessperson, whatever your sector.

Anthony Risicato

Interactive industry veteran, focused on marrying marketers to technology, brands to results, and building high-performance teams across a variety of disciplines

My advice if you want to succeed as an entrepeneur? Be honest. About what you can do and what the market really needs. The world will not change what it does for you, but you will have to change what you do for the world!

Josh Morse

Marketing director, CloudSense

We now shop across a variety of channels and our loyalty to a retailer is more and more difficult to retain. These changes in both behaviour and technology beg the question - do retailers even understand loyalty anymore?

Preetam Kaushik

Freelance journalist

How about an eBay for advertisers? Say goodbye to bulk media buys around inventory that is racked and stacked so far in advance that advertisers have...

Andrew Carr

CEO, Bull UK & Ireland

In technology, vendors are now calling their products and services 'disruptive' in a positive way. Cloud computing and big data are examples of this as they force organisations to look at new routes to market and evolve their business models.

Roxanne Stockwell

Managing Director of Higher Education Awards and Principal at Pearson College

It must be tough being a graduate at the moment. Unemployment among university leavers is at a record high - yet even where jobs are available, businesses are quick to criticise the skills of those spending thousands of pounds on their education.

Michael Hayman

Co-founder of the campaigning company Seven Hills, the fastest growing public relations firm in the UK

Today in the UK around 1,800 businesses will register to start trading. Put it another way, that's 75 an hour or just over one a minute. And by setting up, these young firms join the wave of entrepreneurs starting a phenomenal odyssey of adventurous independence and a life lived on their own terms.

Roland Cross

Founder and Director Broadgate Mainland

So everything is crystal clear, the Retail Distribution Review (RDR) has been introduced, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has banned rebates and transparency reigns in the financial industry; consumers are rejoicing - well not quite.