The latest series of The Apprentice has returned to our screens with candidates battling it out to win Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment and mentorship.
The winner of series 1 in 2005 – Tim Campbell MBE – has returned as one of Lord Sugar’s trusted advisors alongside Baroness Karren Brady.
However, for a man who founded Amstrad and now owns Amscreen – the UK’s largest digital media owner – the show’s billionaire host has invested in conspicuously few candidates from a tech background.
Mark Wright, an Australian-born businessman, is thought to be only true tech winner to come out of the show, winning the 10th season of The Apprentice in 2014.
Wright went on to create digital marketing agency Climb Online with Lord Sugar, before selling the business in 2022 for a reported £10m.
A significant number of the candidates in the latest series of The Apprentice come from a background in technology.
They include a social media influencer; someone who works in cybersecurity; the owner of an online tutoring business and a virtual assistant entrepreneur.
BusinessCloud looks at the runners and riders and asks: Will Lord Sugar’s next Apprentice be a techie?
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Amber-Rose Badrudin
Job title: Director, Oree Mart
Location: London
Badrudin has gone from zero to over a million combined followers across her social media platforms, using its power to promote her online business Oree Mart.
The business was created to showcase the best of Southeast and East Asian cuisine in a modern, accessible way and Badrudin is sharing her experiences to her 769,000 TikTok followers.
“It’s so much more than being on the show,” she gushed. “As someone who’s had to fight for absolute everything I have, being selected to be a candidate on the show felt like a huge accomplishment knowing where I started.”
However will Lord Sugar be won over by a social media influencer?
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Anisa Khan
Job title: Owner, Bombay Pizza
Location: London
Khan is graduate from The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and her impressive CV includes working at Accenture.
She has built a highly-rated Indian-Italian fusion pizza business called Bombay Pizza from scratch.
Khan impressed in episode one when she was a project manager and has been sharing he experiences to her LinkedIn followers.
“From stepping up as PM to navigating the boardroom, this week was a rollercoaster—but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she wrote.
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Chisola Chitambala
Job title: Co-founder, CB Virtual Assistant
Location: Chelmsford
Chitambala impressed in episode one of The Apprentice with her yodelling skills.
“In business, it’s all about adapting and getting the job done,” he said. “That’s exactly what I did – I stepped up to lead a yodelling masterclass during our tour, and it got an 11/10 rating!”
The entrepreneur says her tech company – CB Virtual Assistant – is all about delivering the same level of excellence and adapting to meet your business needs.
Asked about the business plan she will pitch to Lord Sugar, she said: “Imagine a world where entrepreneurs no longer need to navigate the labyrinth of traditional networking events or plead their case to disinterested investors.”
Chitambala also revealed she declined an acquisition offer within just six months of launching her virtual assistant business, which offers professional administration and online business management.
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Emma Street
Job title: Project manager, Capgemini
Location: London
A project manager at consultancy and technology services firm Capgemini, Street’s career has included the delivery of a six-figure project.
However the fitness-loving entrepreneur wants to be Lord Sugar’s business partner to ‘redefine coffee culture for the next generation’.
Street impressed in week one as the winning project manager.
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Jordan Dargan
Job title: Founder, Rendify Studios
Location: Dublin
A long-term fan of The Apprentice, Dargue is the founder of 3D animation specialist Rendify Studios.
The 3D animation business has already collaborated with jewellery brand CRAFTD, which garnered over 3m social media views.
He’s the youngest candidate in the latest series.
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Keir Shave
Job title: Founder, Parallel Partnerships
Location: Leeds
A savvy entrepreneur, Shave set up his fast-growing telemarketing business Parallel Partnerships within days of being made redundant.
The Northerner employs over 40 staff and his business plan is to create an online tool that is designed to help sales staff at all levels throughout their sales conversations.
In episode one he famously tried to clinch a deal with a game of rock, paper, scissors.
- Melica Moshiri
Job title: Founder and Director, SkillTorch
Location: Brighton
Moshiri is the ambitious owner of a thriving AI tech recruitment business and wants to create a global AI tech recruitment company.
With Lord Sugar’s mentorship, she is determined that things can only go up and that he would be making a ‘big mistake’ if he doesn’t invest in her.
She was in the losing team in week one but survived to fight another day.
Other contestants appearing on the hit BBC show are:
- Aoibheann Walsh, hair and beauty salon owner from County Donegal
- Carlo Brancati, hair transplant consultant from Middlesbrough
- Dean Franklin, air conditioning company owner in Essex
- Emma Rothwell, online gift store owner from Essex – fired, week one
- Frederick Afrifa, motivational speaker from Milton Keynes and former Italian national track star
- Dr Jana Denzel, cosmetic dentist from London
- Jonny Heaver, tutoring company owner from Liverpool
- Liam Snellin, workwear brand owner in Essex
- Max England, senior account manager and former professional tennis player from Surrey
- Mia Collins, meal prep entrepreneur and competitive bodybuilder from London
- Nadia Suliaman, salon chain owner from London