From Gen Z entrepreneurs to a 46-year-old grandmother, a record-equalling 20 candidates will be competing for Lord Sugar’s £250k investment and mentorship in the latest series of The Apprentice.

The famous finger pointing and boardrooms firings will return to our screens on January 29th and, for the first time ever, the boardroom will take place in Hong Kong for episode one.

Chris Maguire looks at the 20 candidates, who are all hoping to be Lord Sugar’s next business partner.

1. Tour de force: Andrea Coope

At 46, Andrea Cooper is the oldest candidate in series 20 and will be hoping that experience counts. The mother-of-five and grandmother-of-one is described as a ‘tour de force’. She runs her own lettings agency, managing more than 100 properties across Barnsley, Sheffield and Doncaster. In what little spare time she has, she likes escaping at weekends in her caravan. Of the 20 candidates she’s the one least likely to buy into the hype and let the fame go to her head.

2. Paper boy: Conor Galvin

Conor Galvin is from Cork, Northern Ireland. He describes himself as the ‘chief paper boy’ at Press Print Paper, which transforms ‘special moments into timeless, vintage-style newspaper prints’.

3. Miss Sunshine: Georgina Newton

Georgina Newton is an East London-based actress and events manager who claims to possess a ‘sunshine that brightens up a room’. Fresh from completing panto in Clacton she describes herself as an ‘ambitious, charismatic blonde taking the world by storm’.

4. Opportunity of a lifetime: Dan Miller

Originally from Derby, Dan Miller set his first business up when he was just 17. He’s the founder and CEO of London-based Young Professionals, which connects students from all over the UK and Ireland with work experience, mentoring, apprenticeship, and job opportunities with some of the world’s biggest organisations. He described appearing on The Apprentice as ‘the opportunity of a lifetime’ and looks one of the strongest candidates.

5. Fashion founder: Carrington Saunders

Carrington Saunders founded her London-based women’s wear fashion company, Cas Collection, in 2022 that ‘elevate sculpt and accentuate women’s bodies. She said: “I’m proudly representing a young Black girl from South East London who had a dream.” She has 9k Instagram followers and is also a YouTuber.

6. Harry Can’t Sit Still: Harry Clough

Will Harry Clough find his perfect business partner in Lord Sugar? After a lifetime of struggling to focus he was diagnosed with ADHD and launched his latest business – Harry Can’t Sit Still, described as a drink ‘made for the ADHD and anxious’. Hopefully, he will have more success than his previous five ventures.  He said: “To many people this would look like five failed businesses (which it certainly is) but to me I learnt a sh*t load from every experience.”

7.Miracle worker: Karishma Vikay

Karishma Vikay is the 28-year-old founder of Twickenham-based beauty brand Kishkin, which describes itself a ‘skin care miracle’. She has a LinkedIn account, but has surprisingly never posted.

8. Spin doctor: Lawrence Rosenberg

Public relations specialist Lawrence Rosenberg founded Rosenberg Media to ‘help reset modern communications around authenticity, clarity and accountability’. He said: “I originally applied for the show because I think there’s a huge gap for PRs to become more visible, and I have a chance to use my voice for the new generation of media.” If he can make PR popular he deserves to win.

9. Pinch me moment: Megan Ruiter

Megan Ruiter (The Apprentice | Ray Burminston/PA Wire)

Birkenhead fashion designer Megan Ruiter has worked at Forever Unique. In 2018 she launched clothing brand Ruiter Ltd, which has proved popular with influencers. Her latest venture is Square Studio 49, described as offering four content rooms under one roof. The 27-year-old described appearing on The Apprentice as a ‘true pinch me moment’.

10. Controversy: Levi Hague

Levi Hague would have liked to speak about his Barnsley-based personalised pet cremation urns business. However, even before the first episode has been aired, he’s been making the wrong sort of headlines over a series of offensive historical social media posts that he’s subsequently apologised for. He must have wished now he hadn’t applied to go on the show.

11. Fame hungry: Roxanne Hamedi

Roxanne Hamedi (The Apprentice | Ray Burminston/PA Wire)

Aberdeen-based Roxanne Hamedi is a registered pharmacist and the CEO of beauty hair brand Browtasia, which she launched three years ago following her own experiences with brow loss and thinning hair. However, she’s best known for her appearance on Geordie Shore and has 30k followers on Instagram.  Hamedi said: “If they don’t pay attention to what I say, they’ll pay attention to what they see.”

12. Hair-raising: Marcus Donkoh

The south Londoner wants to transform his barber shop business into a global grooming and lifestyle brand.

13. No fear: Pascha Myhill

The 22-year-old from Reading dreams of building her own recruitment business. “I chose to back myself,” she said. “No fear, no limits. This still doesn’t feel real, but it’s proof that believing in yourself really can open doors. And this is only the beginning…. Remember, age is just a number.” It’s early days but she comes across as likeable.

14. It’s officially: Kieran McCartney

Kieran McCartney has spent a decade working as an estate agent and his patch covers south London. Writing on his @KieranMcCartneroffical Instagram account, he said: “Somehow, I ended up on The Apprentice 2026. Tough process, high-pressure moments, unforgettable experiences and I may have had a little fun. Watch it all unfold.”

15. Making a splash: Vanessa Tetteh-Squire

North Londoner Vanessa Tetteh-Squire is the founder of Ayorkoh, a contemporary swimwear for fuller-busted women.  “I believe in saying what I mean,” she said. Writing on LinkedIn she said: “Being myself is an act of resistance.”

16. Spreadsheets to mixology: Priyesh Bathia

Priyesh Bathia, from Harrow, describes himself as the Chief Drink Officer of Sipologist, a mobile cocktail bar business. He stepped away from his corporate career to ‘swap spreadsheets for mixology to chase my real passion and dream by crafting unforgettable moments where every drink tells a story’.  Looking at the announcement post confirming his appearance on the show, he was another candidate who apparently grew up watching the show.

17. Master baker: Rothna Akhtar

After eight years of creating cakes, Rothna Akhtar took the plunge and launched her own baking business. She also works as a student wellbeing advisor in east London. She’s another candidate with a low social media profile.

18. TV star: Rajan Gill

Rainham-based Rajan Gill proudly describes himself as the only tradesman candidate in this year’s show. His company – AV Installations – specialise in TV mountings. He said: “I’m here to break the stereotype that tradesmen are valued only for their hands – and to prove our heads are just as sharp as our tools. If this opens doors or changes perceptions for even one young British Punjabi watching, it’s worth it.”

19. Safe as houses: Nikki Jetha

Nikki Jetha is an award-winning mortgage broker from Essex who is on a mission to streamline the mortgage industry. A keen traveller and skier she also has two small children.

20. Chess mate: Tanmay Hingorani

Alongside his job as an AI product consultant at Capgemini Invent, Tanmay Hingorani, from Islington, is currently building Munchcard – a platform for foodies to unlock local perks at independent food and drink spots. The candidate is also a keen chess player.