Trials don’t come much harder than battling it out with 17 other candidates to win Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment – all in front of a TV audience of millions.

However, that’s exactly what Melica Moshiri did when she appeared in the current series of The Apprentice.

The 32-year-old is the founder and director of AI recruitment firm SkillTorch and told BusinessCloud of the lies she told her family and friends to explain her long absences for filming.

“My friends either thought that I was on jury service or that I’d gone to Iran because that’s where my family are from,” she admitted. “Most of them believed me.”

Viewers have seen her survive the first two trials but strict rules mean Moshiri can’t discuss how much further she progresses in the show.

However the self-confessed ‘digital nomad’ is more determined than ever to use the experiences gained on the show to build a global tech business.

Moshiri has been running her company since August 2022 and operates across the UK, Europe and the US, matching tech talent with top AI companies.

Being her own boss has always been her ambition – as it’s also helped her combine it with her other passion for travel.

“Wherever I’ve been, I’ve always been the top revenue generator,” she said, “so it just kind of made sense that I’d start my own recruitment company.

‘I wanted eyeballs rather than Lord Sugar’s £250k’ – The Apprentice star

“People told me for years to start my own recruitment company. Even my old boss said to me, ‘you’re going to be a CEO one day.’

“I did always think that I could do with mentorship and investment from someone like Lord Sugar, which is one of the reasons why I applied to appear on The Apprentice. He’s a business tycoon and he’s so successful.

“He’s also invested in four or five other recruitment companies and some of them are still doing well.”

Moshiri has been described as the ‘globetrotter’ on the show but she insisted her love of travel has been no obstacle to building a business.

“When I do go away, I actually end up closing deals and I come back so refreshed,” she said.

“With the ability to work remotely, I’m always taking my work with me. It’s something I can do as a business owner.”

Moshiri revealed she’s already had a couple of investment inquiries since the current series started being screened.

Asked about her approach on the show she said: “I think I’m honest and I stand up for myself. I think I just say it how it is and I’m real.

“I said to myself ‘I’m just going to be myself and really show who I am and how authentic I am’. Why pretend to be someone you’re not?

“In my job I’ve had to teach myself to be resilient and have a thick skin, so I almost need to be working in a competitive environment.

The Apprentice star swapping hospitals for Lord Sugar’s boardroom

“We’re all different characters and we’re all very competitive people, and I actually really enjoyed working with different types of people.

“Going on the show was the first time I actually got to know other people in other industries.

“I actually thought it was quite nice to meet those kinds of people with all sorts of different types of talent.”