If Katie Hopkins has proven anything throughout her career, it’s that you don’t need to win The Apprentice to gain fame and notoriety. But what happened to those who did get hired? With season 16 now kicking off, read on as we look at what Lord Sugar’s bright young things from previous series are up to today…
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Series one: Tim Campbell
Tim Campbell will always be remembered as the first business savvy candidate to win The Apprentice. The former London Underground transport manager nabbed himself a £100,000-a-year job at Lord Sugar’s Amstrad company back in 2006, where he became project director of their Health and Beauty Division.
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Series one: Tim Campbell
After two years at Amstrad, Tim went on to set up the Bright Ideas Trust, a social enterprise aimed at supporting young entrepreneurs from disadvantaged backgrounds. He was then appointed as then-London Mayor Boris Johnson’s training ambassador in 2010 and later awarded an MBE for Services to Enterprise Culture in 2012. He also wrote a book called What’s Your Bright Idea? In 2015, Tim co-founded the bespoke digital marketing agency Marketing Runners Ltd. Since then, the busy entrepreneur has become a motivational speaker to large corporations. And this year, he’ll be returning to The Apprentice – on the other side of the table. With Lord Sugar’s assistant Claude Littner unable to join series 16 due to a leg injury, Tim will be taking his place, watching over the teams with fellow assistant Baroness Karren Brady.
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Series two: Michelle Dewberry
Michelle Dewberry went from living on a council estate in Hull to becoming one of Britain’s most successful female entrepreneurs. After stealing the show in series two, Michelle went on to work for Lord Sugar’s computer disposal business, Xenon Green.
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Series two: Michelle Dewberry
In true entrepreneurial fashion, Michelle ditched Xenon Green after a nine-month stint and went on to found her own consultancy, Michelle Dewberry Ltd. She published her first autobiography, Anything Is Possible, in 2007. Dewberry stood in the 2017 General Election as an independent pro-Brexit candidate for Hull West and Hessle, where she grew up, and stood again for the Brexit Party two years later. Although her bid for Westminster was unsuccessful, today Dewberry can still be found discussing politics and current affairs as the presenter of GB News’ talk show Dewbs & Co.
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Series three: Simon Ambrose
It was no real surprise when Simon Ambrose won series three of The Apprentice. The Cambridge graduate, who attended school with the likes of Nick Clegg and became a member of Mensa at the age of 13, comes from a long line of successful businessmen.
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Series three: Simon Ambrose
After winning the show, the property enthusiast went on to work for Amsprop, a property development company run by Lord Sugar. In common with many winners of The Apprentice, Simon left the company after a three-year stint and now runs the Hoxton Basement and Victorian Vaults events spaces in London. In 2015, he became the chairman of the London Contemporary Orchestra.
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Series four: Lee McQueen
The milkman’s son from Middlesex got off to a bad start when he was caught lying about the length of time he’d spent at university. Still, Lee went on to win the fourth series, landing himself the role of director at Lord Sugar’s media company Amscreen.
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Series four: Lee McQueen
After two successful years at Amscreen, Lee went on to establish a digital media business with Lord Sugar’s son Simon. He currently runs Raw Talent Academy, a recruitment agency that is estimated to be worth £1.5 million.
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Series five: Yasmina Siadatan
After a hard-fought victory on The Apprentice, Yasmina Siadatan landed herself a £100,000-a-year role at Lord Sugar’s Amscreen. However, four months into her contract, Yasmina revealed that she was pregnant after a whirlwind romance with one of her colleagues.
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Series five: Yasmina Siadatan
Choosing not to return to work after her maternity leave, Yasmina was eventually headhunted by former Dragons’ Den investor James Caan and worked as creative director at government-backed business finance company Start Up Loans. She is currently a director at financial technology company Dynamic Planner.
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Series six: Stella English
Ambitious and driven, Stella spent 12 months working for Lord Sugar’s Viglen after successfully winning series six of The Apprentice. However, Stella’s time at the company was short-lived after it was revealed that her contract would not be renewed.
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Series six: Stella English
Following an unsuccessful lawsuit against Lord Sugar for unfair dismissal, the series six winner faced her fair share of difficulties. After a messy divorce and battle against the repossession of her home, Stella turned things around and hosted CrowdBox, a TV channel that helps entrepreneurs raise money through crowdfunding. She and snooker player Ali Carter welcomed their first child in 2017.
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Series seven: Tom Pellereau
Former mechanical engineering student Tom Pellereau was the first contestant to win the £250,000 grand prize after the show’s 2011 revamp. The inventor went into business with Lord Sugar, developing a range of S-shaped nail files which were sold at leading supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda.
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Series seven: Tom Pellereau
Tom has invented a number of other products, including a collapsable baby bottle and a personal screening device for the early detection of bowel cancer. It appears that Tom’s beauty and healthcare brand Styl is doing well, with new products including light-accelerated teeth whitening. He still works with Lord Sugar today.
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Series eight: Ricky Martin
Ricky Martin (not to be confused with the Puerto Rican singer) stole the show in series eight. The former pro-wrestler used his prize money to set up Hyper Recruitment, an agency that specialises in scientific recruitment. Ricky continues to be praised as a “glowing example” by his mentor and business partner Lord Sugar.
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Series eight: Ricky Martin
As well as enjoying success with Hyper Recruitment, which announced it had made £1 million in profits in 2018, Ricky is also a senior figure in the Royal Society of Chemistry.
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Series nine: Dr Leah Totton
Dr Leah Totton, a former A&E doctor, sparked controversy following series nine of The Apprentice when she announced that she would be opening a Botox clinic with her prize money. Her decision left many claiming it would put pressure on women to go under the knife, but that didn’t stop her…
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Series nine: Dr Leah Totton
Putting the negative press behind her, Leah has gone on to open three Dr. Leah Cosmetic Skin Clinics in central London, where she offers an array of popular beauty treatments, including skin peels, lip enhancements and jawline reshaping. One of her clinics even has a secret underground entrance to protect the privacy of her high-profile celebrity clients. And she’s definitely had the last laugh as her business is booming, with turnover reaching £1.6 million a year.
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Series 10: Mark Wright
After winning series 10 of The Apprentice, Mark Wright took Lord Sugar’s investment money and set up digital marketing business Climb Online.
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Series 10: Mark Wright
The young entrepreneur continues to run a successful business, with Lord Sugar’s help, and his digital marketing agency – which recently celebrated its seventh birthday – now has three UK office locations and a multi-million-pounds turnover. Mark has claimed that his only woe is his battle to open an official Twitter account after confusion with his TOWIE namesake, Mark Wright. His addition to Forbes’ prestigious ’30 under 30′ list of the best media and marketing minds in 2017 and his Entrepreneur of the Year 2018 award from the UK Business Awards, however, may have softened the Twitter blow.
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Series 11: Joseph Valente
The Apprentice’s series 11 winner, plumber Joseph Valente, caught Lord Sugar’s eye with his business plan of franchising a plumbing company, which he strongly believed could one day take on the likes of British Gas.
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Series 11: Joseph Valente
Valente parted ways with Lord Sugar in April 2017. As confident as the day he entered the boardroom, the sharp-suited entrepreneur later took the reins of his company ImpraGas Limited, which won the award for Number One Boiler Installation Company in the UK at the Energy Efficiency Awards 2019. In early 2020, however, he was forced to sell the business due to complications caused by Brexit.
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Series 12: Alana Spencer
Baker and chocolatier Alana Spencer not only bagged the cash prize but Lord Sugar offered a 50/50 partnership in her cake business, Ridiculously Rich by Alana.
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Series 12: Alana Spencer
Alana’s baking company has weathered lockdowns and continues to operate today, despite receiving an apparently “misleading” 1-star hygiene rating in August 2021. Ridiculously Rich by Alana has four cafés throughout Wales and also delivers fortnightly subscription boxes, supplies events and franchises to individuals who can grab a slice of the brand to run as their own business. In 2019, Alana bought out Lord Sugar and is now the sole owner and director of the business.
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Series 13: Sarah Lynn and James White
In an unprecedented twist, and an Apprentice first, Lord Sugar decided to invest in both finalists. Unable to choose between them, the business tycoon crowned Sarah Lynn and James White joint winners of series 13.
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Series 13: Sarah Lynn
Confectionery was unfamiliar territory for Lord Sugar but he was impressed with Sarah and invested in her candy business, Sweets in the City. The first range of sweets launched in June 2019, amazingly just weeks after she gave birth to her second child, and it’s currently stocked in Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges.
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Series 13: James White
James proved himself throughout the series and was rewarded when Lord Sugar invested in his recruitment company, Right Time Recruitment. It wasn’t an easy start for his fledgling business and it was reported that the company lost £30,000 in the first six months. But as the company has expanded from one member of staff to 17 – and has plans to open a London office alongside its original Birmingham location – it’s perhaps not unexpected. However, the winner did find himself in hot water after it emerged he had lied about his presence during a Wolf of Wall Street-style celebration at his company.
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Series 14: Sian Gabbidon
Sian Gabbidon won series 14 of The Apprentice after demonstrating a calm approach and a good head for business. The 25-year-old put her winning money into her swimwear business Sian Marie.
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Series 14: Sian Gabbidon
Since her win, Sian has expanded her business, moving from small scale to mass production. Attracting celebrity fans including Molly-Mae Hague, the Sian Marie brand is now stocked by ASOS and George @ ASDA, as well as by retailers overseas. The entrepreneur, pictured here modelling one of the brand’s slogan T-shirts, reportedly struck a seven-figure deal with ASDA and cites Coco Chanel as her business inspiration.
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Series 15: Carina Lepore
In 2019, Carina Lepore was crowned the winner of series 15 after becoming the show’s most successful candidate ever, winning nine out of 10 tasks. She ran her father’s bakery business in Herne Hill, London and planned to use Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment to franchise the brand.
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Series 15: Carina Lepore
In September 2020, the record-setting Apprentice star opened the second Dough Artisan Bakehouse premises in Beckenham. It hasn’t all been sweetness and light at the bakery, however. The same month saw police shut down a party that was being held at the venue in breach of coronavirus restrictions.
