Meet the latest batch of The Apprentice candidates
The new series of The Apprentice is about to get under way, with 18 more hopefuls vying to win.
Here are the candidates aspiring to win Lord Alan Sugar’s £250,000 business investment:
London-based Sharma is a city banker and the youngest candidate in the series.
He said: “Some say I’m delusional, I prefer the term optimistic. Lord Sugar’s investment will help me escape the rat race of a banking job. I’m the hardest working rat he’ll ever meet.”
2) Bradley Johnson
As a director of a construction company from north Yorkshire, Johnson prides himself on his “drive and determination”, having started a profitable business from nothing.
3) Dani Donovan
Donovan is the owner of a hair salon in Hertfordshire and believes the key to business is “passion”.
She said: “My unique selling point is my personality. I bring something unique. I’m a different kind of business owner, which is a lot more relatable to people.”
4) Denisha Kaur Bharj
She added: “I’m a woman who wants to create an empire and have it all, to be able to provide for my family and to be an inspiration to young women.”
5) Emma Browne
Browne, a senior account executive from County Kildare, described herself as a “workaholic” and promised her business idea will be “one of the most successful ideas to ever come out of The Apprentice”.
She added: “I am extremely competitive. I won’t let anything get in my way. If I have an opinion and I think it’s going to allow us to win the task, I will be sure to be straightforward with the other candidates.”
Shropshire-based local councillor Ebbs, who owns an online antiques marketplace and previously worked as a professional cannon-firer, said his willingness to try different things is one of his “biggest strengths”.
He said: “I think I’ve got a really clear vision of what I want in the future and that is substantiated from having diverse experience in different fields and my willingness to try things that very few people will do.”
7) Joseph Phillips
Worcestershire-based Phillips, who studied zoology and became a safari guide in South Africa, said his dyslexia is the “driving force” for him to succeed and prove his capabilities.
8) Kevin D’Arcy
The accountant from Dublin started his water sports equipment business during lockdown while working in financial services and is looking to Lord Sugar to help him expand into the UK.
He said: “It’s gone from strength to strength in Ireland and is now stocked in some of the country’s biggest stores. With Lord Sugar as my business partner, I know we can ride that wave into the UK and beyond.”
The London-based pest control company owner is a former soldier and believes his experience navigating hostile environments around the world has equipped him to handle the boardroom.
Moseley said: “I’m very talkative with the charm to match… I can sell to anyone.”
10) Marnie Swindells
The court advocate from London, who is also a gold medal-winning boxer, said she has fought “tooth and nail” to be where she is today.
11) Megan Hornby
The owner of Sweet Shop and Cafe from east Yorkshire said she has found a “gap in the market” with her business idea and believes with investment it could be “nationally recognised”.
She added: “I think that no matter what situation I am thrown into, I will always give 100% truth, even if it’s hard to hear. I always believe that honesty is the most important thing in business.”
12) Reece Donnelly
He said: “I’m here to prove that Scotland is filled with forward-thinking entrepreneurs and that we are not in fact a haggis-eating, kilt-wearing nation.”
13) Rochelle Anthony
Bedfordshire hair salon owner Anthony said she prides herself on being a “tenacious, fierce, and determined businesswoman.”
She added: “I deserve Lord Sugar’s investment because I know the hair industry like the back of my hand and Lord Sugar knows business. Together, we would be an absolute force to be reckoned with.”
West Yorkshire bridal boutique owner Martin is hoping her first business partner will be Lord Sugar.
She said: “I think it’s a really good opportunity for him; he’s never been in the bridal business before.”
15) Shazia Hussain
Technology recruiter Hussain, from London, said her attention deficit hyperactivity disorder means she can process information “faster than others” and her reaction time is “quicker”.
16) Simba Rwambiwa
The senior sales representative from Birmingham is a self-confessed “perfectionist” who always wants to get things right.
He added: “If people can’t buy into you, they’ll never buy anything from you.”
17) Sohail Chowdhary
He said: “I am calm and collected but if they do come at me? I will bite and I will sting and I will leave my mark.”
18) Victoria Goulbourne
Former flight attendant Goulbourne, from Merseyside, started her online sweet business, which became a social media success, during lockdown.
She said: “I know what consumers want. I’ve travelled all over the world and am not afraid to take on a challenge.”
The Apprentice is set to air from Thursday January 5 on BBC One and iPlayer.