Series 17 of The Apprentice is coming to a close tonight when candidates Marnie Swindells and Rochelle Anthony will battle it out in “Britain’s toughest job interview.”
Candidates who have appeared on the show have gone on to achieve success in a variety of fields, from stints on Big Brother, Come Dine with Me and Loose Women, to careers in app development, the NHS and – of course – business.
Many of the previous winners from the show focused on business and entrepreneurship, with a few finding success with Lord Sugar’s backing.
Who won The Apprentice 2022?
Harpreet Kaur won The Apprentice in 2022. She is the proud owner of the bakery Oh So Yum, which has remained open since she won the show last year.
Kaur already had parlours in Huddersfield and White Rose Shopping Centre in Leeds when she joined The Apprentice 2022, and she has now expanded Bradford whilst also announcing stock in Selfridges in October 2022.
Full list of The Apprentice winners
Series 1 – Tim Campbell
Things have gone full circle for Campbell. After winning the first series of The Apprentice he joined the latest series as Lord Sugar’s adviser.
In 2005, he was given a £100,000-per-year job with Lord Sugar’s company Amstrad and stayed with the firm for two years.
He eventually co-founded a charity to help disadvantaged young businesspeople and was awarded an MBE in 2012 for services to enterprise culture.
Campbell joined a boutique London property agency the same year and in 2016 co-founded a digital marketing agency.
Series 2 – Michelle Dewberry
Despite being offered a £100,000 job of her own, Dewberry left Lord Sugar’s tech company Xenon Green after a few months.
She started a business consultancy in 2006, published a book in 2007, and became a columnist for magazine Business Matters in 2009.
Extending her CV further, Dewberry stood as an independent pro-Brexit candidate in the 2017 general election and came fourth out of seven with 5.5 per cent of votes in Hull West and Hessle.
Stepping further into journalism, Dewburry joined GB News in 2021 to divulge her political opinions on her own show: Dewbs & Co.
Series 3 – Simon Ambrose
Ambrose defeated Katie Hopkins on his way to landing a job with Lord Sugar, working in his property company Armsprop before leaving to set up his own property development firm in 2010.
It was reported in 2015 that Ambrose was planning to open several bars and restaurants in London and is believed to be serving as a chairman of the London Contemporary Orchestra.
Series 4 – Lee McQueen
McQueen proved himself a wildcard both while on the show and afterwards. He was called out for lying on his CV and faced being kicked off series four of The Apprentice, but managed to not only stay but win the entire thing.
He also famously called in sick to his first day working for Lord Sugar’s healthcare company Amscreen, but went on to be one of the longest=serving apprentices.
He left in 2010 to start his own recruitment agency, Raw Talent Academy.
Series 5 – Yasmina Siadatan
On winning series five, Siadatan joined Lee McQueen at Amscreen, left after four months after becoming pregnant and didn’t return.
She was headhunted by Dragon’s Den star James Caan before she set up her own start-up loans company.
It’s believed that Siadatan is now a financial marketing director for a technology company.
Series 6 – Stella English
English and Lord Sugar’s relationship turned sour when she sued him for “constructive dismissal” as she left his company after 13 months with some choice words about her experience.
English now hosts Crowdbox TV, a crowdfunding television channel.
Series 7 – Tom Pellereau
Despite bumbling his way through The Apprentice and losing most challenges, Pellereau went on to win and received a £250,000 investment in his invention “Stylfile”, a curved nailfile.
He now runs a beauty accessories company with Lord Sugar called AVENTon.
Series 8 – Ricky Martin
Though perhaps not as musically talented as the other Ricky Martin, this Apprentice winner put his business skills to good use and is now a multimillionaire.
He runs a science recruitment agency and has won several business awards for his work.
Series 9 – Leah Totton
Totton set up a chain of ethical cosmetic clinics with Lord Sugar following her victory, and she also worked part-time for an NHS A&E centre.
She has worked to improve cosmetic industry standards and has also spoken out several times on women’s rights issues.
Series 10 – Mark Wright
Wright started a digital marketing agency with Lord Sugar called Climb Online that has gone from strength to strength.
Wright himself won UK entrepreneur of the year in 2018 and was listed on Forbes 30 under 30 list.
Series 11 – Joseph Valente
Using the prize money to invest into his plumbing company ImpraGas, Valente found real success as an entrepreneur.
He is now a business mentor and CEO of Trade Mastermind, a coaching company for the UK’s construction business.
Series 12 – Alana Spencer
Spencer used her success on The Apprentice to launch a luxury cake business, Ridiculously Rich by Alana.
Sticking to the sweeter side of business, she also launched Cakepreneurs with Lord Sugar, where bakers can pay a membership fee to sell their goods to wholesalers across the UK.
Series 13 – Sarah Lynn and James White
An indecisive Lord Sugar crowned two winners on the 2017 series of The Apprentice.
Lynn stuck to last year’s trend and invested in her personalised sweet business, Sweets in the City. Lord Sugar became a co-owner and her products are now sold in Harrods, Selfridges, and Harvey Nichols.
The investment for White allowed his IT and infrastructure recruitment business to take off, and within a few months of winning the show it jumped from just himself running the company to a team of 17 employees.
Series 14 – Sian Gabbidon
Gabbidon already ran her own swimwear and fashion business, but upon winning The Apprentice, Lord Sugar became a co-owner and the brand has become incredibly successful.
It first expanded to sell through ASOS, but during the pandemic Gabbidon expanded into loungewear and found even more success, both in the UK and internationally.
Series 15 – Carina Lepore
Lepore didn’t let the pandemic slow her down as she opened her second Dough Artisan Bakehouse in September 2020.
