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The following is a list of candidates from the British reality television series The Apprentice.

Candidates are listed alphabetically by series; individual candidate information is accessed by clicking on their name below.

Where a date of birth is not provided, the age given is as of the time the relevant series aired.

Lindsay Bogaard

Lindsay Bogaard, aged 35, is an organisational communication consultant and author from London, holds a BA and postgraduate diplomas in Broadcast Journalism and Internal Communications Management, and is the founder of the UK's first national car-sharing agency. She held the belief that - "You must be honest with yourself about where you're aiming to go and how you are competing with others to get there."^[19] On the programme's first series, she became the second candidate to be fired and the first project manager to be fired. Her firing came down to her displaying herself as an unattractive prospect for Lord Sugar, who cited that the key factors were her failure to take in feedback on her performance and her poor decision making within the series' second task. Following her appearance, she would go on to found her own company, Bogaard Arena, that specialised in organisational change.^[20]

Timothy Campbell

Timothy "Tim" Campbell, aged 27, is a former project manager for the London Underground, who was educated at St Bonaventure's Roman Catholic School, a voluntary aided Catholic school in Forest Gate in East London, followed by Middlesex University, from which he graduated with a degree in Psychology.^[21] He became the first participant of The Apprentice to win the show, which came down to his performance throughout the process and his display of traits that reminded Lord Sugar of his early years in business.

Following his win, Campbell was assigned to the health and beauty division of Sugar's former company, Amstrad, and remained in this post for two years. In March 2007, he left the company, and would go on to launch the Bright Ideas Trust - a training and mentoring program, aimed at supporting young people between 16 - 30 who wanted to start new businesses.^[22]

Raj Dhonota

Raj Dhonota, aged 30, is an Internet entrepreneur and former estate agency director, who claimed on the show that he had no hobbies and was "totally focused" on business, to which he was most notably quoted as saying - "I'm an entrepreneur, not an angel."^[21] On the programme's first series, he was the eighth candidate to be fired. His firing came down to the fact that he had made himself unsuitable to be the winner, due to his failure to heed a warning to step up his performance on a previous task and for admitting that he was a "poor salesman". Following his appearance on The Apprentice, Dhonota would go on to found his own offshoring company.^[23]

Rachel Groves

Rachel Groves, aged 32, is a charity fundraiser from London, who formerly worked as a advertising sales executive, and holds a BA in German and a Chartered Institute of Management Advanced Certificate. On the programme, she was notably quoted for claiming - "I have incredible presence and am one of those people who fills a room even when alone. I have an infectious desire to live life to the full."^[19] On the programme's first series, she was the fifth candidate to be fired. Her firing came down to her failure to utilise her previous work experience for the series' sixth task. Following her appearance on The Apprentice, Groves would go on to spend time writing a novel, along with taking a post at the Citizens Advice Bureau as the head of its fundraising branch.^[24][25]

Saira Khan

Saira Khan is a former sales manager for an online recruitment company, who was born in 1970 in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, and earned several qualifications, including a BA in Humanities and an MA in environmental planning.^[19] She became the first participant of The Apprentice to reach the final and be placed as the runner-up, which came down to her display of problematic qualities in the first series' final task. Following her appearance on the programme, Khan would go on to work for the BBC, presenting the shows Temper Your Temper and Desi DNA, and later becoming the host of her own programme, Beat the Boss,^[26] along with making several appearances on a number of other TV and radio stations, including BBC Radio 4 and the BBC Asian Network, and being a regular panellist for BBC Radio Five Live. She would also go on to write her own column for the Daily Mirror, and found a baby skincare company.

Ben Leary

Ben Leary, aged 29, is the owner of a headhunting firm, and was a recipient of the Global Consultant of the Year award prior to appearing on The Apprentice. He was notably quoted on the programme for saying - "In my career I win all the time, apart from when I lose!"^[21] On the programme's first series, he was the seventh candidate to be fired. His firing came down to several faults he made with his performance on the series' eighth task, and for making unsubstantiated boasts that he had been responsible for a victory in a previous task in the series.

Adele Lock

Adele Lock, aged 29, is a salon owner from Mere, Cheshire, and a former general manager in a retail company that specialised in the sales of kitchens and bathrooms, holding several qualifications, consisting of several O-levels and a single A-level. She was notably quoted on the programme for saying - "Some people call me a workaholic, but I just enjoy work with a passion."^[19] She became the first participant of The Apprentice to quit the show, with her departure being one of a number of key factors that led to changes in the show's format, in order for the production staff to maintain a Boardroom scene in the event of a sudden departure by a candidate. Following her appearance on the programme, Lock would go on to set up a concession of male salons around Britain,^[27] and would later remark about her time on the programme by stating - "I've learned to listen more, not to be so dictatorial and I've learned that your family is priceless".^[28]

James Max

James Max is an investment banker and a Chartered Surveyor, born in 1970, who was a former partner in a private equity firm, and was educated at the independent St. Paul's School in Barnes, London, and at the University of Reading, holding a BSc in Land Management. He was notably quoted on the programme for saying - "I seek success as a result of my own achievements."^[21] On the programme's first series, he was one of the two semi-finalists to be fired in the Interviews stage of the process. His firing came down to questions raised over his dedication to work, despite presenting an excellent CV to the interviewers and Lord Sugar. Following his appearance on the programme, Max would go on to become a columnist for The Times Online and also write for The Sunday Times, while also being involved in several TV roles, including the presenter of three weekly shows on London's LBC, and a co-host alongside Simon Amstell for T4's The Morning After Show, as well as several televised segments for TalkSPORT alongside footballer Ian Wright and Adrian Durham, and E4's Get Your Act Together with Harvey Goldsmith. In addition, he would partake in numerous speaking roles around the country, much like many other candidates who had appeared on The Apprentice.^[29]

Until the broadcasting of the seventh series of the programme, Max held the record for the highest number of wins in successive tasks, making six successive wins during his time in the process for the first series.

Adenike Ogundoyin

Adenike Ogundoyin, aged 30, is a former event organiser, who was responsible for running large events for corporate clients, and a former restaurant owner and manager within Nigeria, who held a number of qualifications that included a BA in Business Studies, an MA in International Business and a MBA from Pace University, New York.^[30] She was notably quoted on the programme for saying - "I am a entrepreneur by nature and it's all I know." She became the first person in the show's history to be fired in the British version of The Apprentice, which came down to the fact that she displayed a disrespectful attitude to superiors, as was demonstrated in the task against her team's project manager.^[19]

In September 2011, six years after appearing on the programme, Adenike passed away, after collapsing in London while attending a meeting.^[31]

Matthew Palmer

Matthew Palmer, aged 39, is a former computer trainer and self-qualified stockbroker, along with being a former parliamentary candidate for the Conservative Party during the 2001 General Election, holding qualifications that included a BA in Business and Computing and a postgraduate Diploma in Marketing. He was notably quoted on the programme for saying - "The objective of a business is not to make money. The object of a business is to satisfy customers. The result is to make money."^[21] On the programme's first series, he was the fourth candidate to be fired. His firing came down to the fact that Lord Sugar had found him unsuitable, due to a few unwanted traits he had displayed that included being unnecessarily confrontational. Following his appearance on the programme, Palmer would go on to set up a website aimed at helping those who suffered from fertility-related problems,^[32], and would once more embark in a political career with the Conservative Party, successfully being elected to the Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council in 2006 and 2010.^[33]

Until the broadcasting of the ninth series of the programme, Palmer held the record for the being the oldest candidate to participate in The Apprentice.

Miranda Rose

Miranda Rose, aged 26, is a former managing director from Nottingham, along with being the owner of a successful mail order company and the manager of a self-funded exhibitions company, holding a number of qualifications that included a BTEC National Diploma and a GNVQ in Leisure and Tourism. She was notably quoted on the programme as saying - "I've got huge life experience for my age, which is better than anything written on a piece of paper."^[19] On the programme's first series, she was the third candidate to be fired. Her firing came down to concerns over her attitude to people in a superior role to her, following the behaviour she demonstrated to her team's project manager during the series' third task.

Sebastian Schrimpff

Sebastian Schrimpff, born in 1975 in Colombia, came to the UK in 1991, where he secured qualifications that included a BSc in Natural Science and an MBA from INSEAD.^[21][34] On the programme's first series, he was the sixth candidate to be fired. His firing came down to his personality and background being unsuitable to Lord Sugar and for his failure to increase his presence in the tasks he performed in. Following his appearance on the programme, Schrimpff would return to Colombia in order to set up and run a number of photography related companies within his home-country.

Miriam Staley

Miriam Staley is a former hotel manager, born in 1978 in Oxford, England, who formerly lived in Saint Martin in the French West Indies, holding qualifications that included a BA in French and Spanish. She is notably quoted on the programme for saying - "I don't know all the classic business theories or have the 'pat' answers – my experience comes from what I've directly learnt in the field. I bring a unique experience as I've lived in four different countries and am bilingual."^[19][35] On the programme's first series, she was the ninth candidate to be fired. Her firing came down to her personality and staff management being unacceptable to Lord Sugar, though he later remarked that the decision may have been the wrong one at the time, after the episode had been broadcast. Following her appearance on the programme, Staley would return to the UK in order to live with her husband in London.

Paul Torrisi

Paul Torrisi (original name - Paolo Roberto Torrisi), is a former property developer, born 25 April 1970, holding qualifications that included O-levels and a systems analysis certificate.^[36] On the programme's first series, he was one of the two semi-finalists to be fired in the Interviews stage of the process. His firing came down to the behaviour he displayed in tasks and the answers he gave over his reasons for wanting to work. Following his appearance on the programme, he would turn down a job to work with Sugar's son Daniel within Sugar;s private jet company Amsair, in order to focus on a career in the media, whereupon he would make appearances on Grandstand, BBC Breakfast, Bargain Hunt, Confessions Of An Estate Agent, T4 and Look North, as well as spin-off show The Apprentice: You're Fired! and BBC Radio,^[21] and become the presenter for Property Prophets on UKTV Style and UKTV Bright Ideas.^[37]

References