List of The Apprentice candidates (UK series one)

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, Age 35

Lindsay Bogaard, (formerly Gill) 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. At the time of her appearance on The Apprentice, she held the position communications manager, and since appearing on the show, founded her own company, Bogaard Arena, which specialises in organisational change.^[17] 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."^[18]

Lindsay was dismissed from the process following the second task, as Lord Sugar reasoned that her failure to take in feedback and her poor decision on product choice made her an unattractive prospect for a future employee.

Timothy Campbell, Age

Timothy "Tim" Campbell 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, and became a project manager for the London Underground.^[19] Upon applying for the show, Campbell successfully won the £100,000-a-year job on The Apprentice for his performance throughout the process, along with displaying traits that reminded Lord Sugar of his earlier years in business, and was given a given a role within the health and beauty division of Sugar's former company, Amstrad.

Two years after his final appearance on the show, Campbell left the company in March 2007, and went on to launch the Bright Ideas Trust - a training and mentoring program, which aims to support young people between 16 - 30 who want to start new businesses.^[20]

Raj Dhonota, Age 30

Raj Dhonota is an Internet entrepreneur and former estate agency director. On the show, he made claims that he had no hobbies and was "totally focused" on business, and was quoted as saying - "I'm an entrepreneur, not an angel."^[19] Since his appearance on The Apprentice, Dhonota has set up his own company which outsources work from the UK to foreign countries through offshoring.^[21]

Dhonota was dismissed from the process following the ninth task, as Lord Sugar had given him warning on the previous task of stepping up his performance, while his admittance that he was a "poor salesman" proved him to be unsuitable for the prize.

Rachel Groves, Age 32

Rachel Groves is a charity fundraiser from London, who once raised money by spacehopping down Oxford Street dressed as a five. In addition to aiding charities, she is also a former advertising sales executive, and has BA in German and a Chartered Institute of Management Advanced Certificate. Shew was quoted on the show 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."^[18] Following her appearance on The Apprentice, Groves has spent time writing a novel and now works as the head of fundraising for the Citizens Advice Bureau.^[22][23]

Groves was dismissed from the process following the sixth task, as Lord Sugar reasoned that her failure to utilise her previous work experience was inexcusable on a task that she was suited for.

Saira Khan, Age 34

Saira Khan (born 1970, Long Eaton in Derbyshire) is a former sales manager for an online recruitment company, with her qualifications including a BA in Humanities and an MA in environmental planning.^[18] Khan displayed problematic qualities in the Finals, effectively resulting in her becoming the runner-up on the first series of The Apprentice.

Since her appearance on the show, she went on to become a TV presenter on BBC's Temper Your Temper and Desi DNA, while hosting her own programme Beat the Boss.^[24] She also went on to write a column for the Daily Mirror, became a regular panellist for BBC Radio Five Live, made several appearances on a number of other TV and radio stations (including BBC Radio 4 and the BBC Asian Network), and runs her own baby skincare company.

Ben Leary, Age 29

Ben Leary 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 quoted on the show for saying - "In my career I win all the time, apart from when I lose!"^[19]

Ben was dismissed from the process following the eighth task, as Lord Sugar found several faults on his performance on the task, and could not accept him boasting that he had been responsible for his team's victory on the previous task.

Adele Lock, Age 29

Adele Lock is a salon owner from Mere, Cheshire and has 7 O-levels and 1 A-level. Prior to auditioning for The Apprentice, she was a general manager in a retail company selling kitchens and bathrooms. She was quoted on the show for saying - "Some people call me a workaholic, but I just enjoy work with a passion."^[18] Following her appearance on the show, Adele set up a concession of male salons around Britain,^[25] and remarked about her time on the show by stating - "I've learned to listen more, not to be so dictatorial and I've learned that your family is priceless".^[26]

Adele holds the position of being the first person to quit the British edition of The Apprentice. It was one of a number of factors that would lead to changes in the show's format by the production staff, in order to ensure it would maintain a Boardroom scene in the event of a sudden departure by a candidate.

James Max, Age 34

James Max (born 1970) is an investment banker and a Chartered Surveyor, who was educated at the independent St. Paul's School in Barnes, London, and at the University of Reading, and holds a BSc in Land Management. Prior to his appearance on The Apprentice, James was a partner of a private equity firm. On the show, he was quoted as saying - "I seek success as a result of my own achievements."^[19] Following his appearance, he became a columnist for The Times Online and wrote for The Sunday Times, while becoming a presenter for three weekly shows on London's LBC, along with segments on TalkSPORT alongside footballer Ian Wright and Adrian Durham, segments in E4's Get Your Act Together with Harvey Goldsmith, and working alongside Simon Amstell for T4's The Morning After Show. Like many other candidates who appeared on the show, James also undertook numerous public speaking roles around the country.^[27]

James was dismissed from the process following the Interview stage, as despite presenting an excellent CV to the interviewers and Lord Sugar, his dedication to work raised questions. Until the seventh series of the show, he held the record for the highest number of wins in successive tasks after making six successive wins during the process.

Adenike Ogundoyin, Age 30

Adenike Ogundoyin was an event organiser, responsible for running large events for corporate clients, along with owning and managing a restaurant in Nigeria, with her qualifications including a BA in Business Studies, MA in International Business and MBA from Pace University, New York.^[28] She was quoted on the show as saying - "I am a entrepreneur by nature and it's all I know."

Adenike was the first person to be "fired" in the British version of the show. She was dismissed from the process, as Lord Sugar reasoned her attitude to superiors was disrespectful, due to her behaviour with her project manager on the first task.^[18] Six years after she made her appearance on the show, Adenike died in September 2011, after collapsing during a meeting in London.^[29]

Matthew Palmer, Age 39

Matthew Palmer, from London, was a former Conservative Party parliamentary candidate in the 2001 general election, along with being a former computer trainer and self-qualified stockbroker, with his qualifications including a BA in Business and Computing and a postgraduate Diploma in Marketing. He was quoted on the show 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."^[19] Following his appearance, Palmer set up a website for those suffering from fertility-related problems,^[30] and later became elected to the Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council as a Conservative in 2006 and again in 2010.^[31]

Palmer was dismissed from the process following the fifth task, as Lord Sugar found him to be unsuitable due to being "awkward" and unnecessarily confrontational. Until the ninth series, Palmer held the record for being the oldest candidate on the British version of the show.

Miranda Rose, Age 26

Miranda Rose, from Nottingham, is a former managing director of an estate agency, owned a successful mail order company, and runs her own self-funded exhibitions company, with her qualifications including a BTEC National Diploma and a GNVQ in Leisure and Tourism. Prior to appearing on The Apprentice, Rose was a contestant on Wheel of Fortune and also completed a fire-walk over 25 feet of red hot embers. She was quoted on the show as saying - "I've got huge life experience for my age, which is better than anything written on a piece of paper."^[18]

Rose was dismissed from the process following the third task, as Lord Sugar was concerned over how respectful she could be to superiors following her behaviour to her project manager on the task.

Sebastian Schrimpff, Age 29

Sebastian Schrimpff (born 1975), spent the first 16 years of his life in Colombia, owns a pilot's licence, and has qualifications that include a BSc in Natural Science and an MBA from INSEAD. On the show, he claimed he had interests in skiing, tennis and flying.^[19][32] Following his appearance on The Apprentice, Sebastian set up and runs a number of photography related companies in Colombia.

Sebastian was dismissed from the process following the seventh task, as Lord Sugar felt his personality and background were not suitable to him, and that he failed to put more of a presence in the tasks that he performed in.

Miriam Staley, Age 26

Miriam Staley (born 1978 in Oxford, England) is a former hotel manager, who originally lived in Saint Martin in the French West Indies, holds a BA in French and Spanish, and has been involved in underwater diving with sharks. She is quoted on the show as 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."^[18][33] Following her appearance on the show, Miriam moved back to the UK, and resides with her husband in The Docklands, London.

Miriam was dismissed from the process following the tenth task, as Lord Sugar found her unsuitable in terms of her personality and staff management, though later remarked that the decision may have been the wrong one after the episode's broadcast.

Paul Torrisi, Age 34

Paolo Roberto Torrisi (born 25 April 1970, and known also as Paul Torrisi), was a property developer prior to appearing on The Apprentice, with his qualifications including O-levels and a systems analysis certificate.^[34] Following his appearance on the show, Paul went on to 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.^[19] He also presents Property Prophets on UKTV Style and UKTV Bright Ideas.^[35]

Paul was dismissed from the process following the Interviews stage, as he had displayed behavioural issues in the tasks and gave unclear reasons for why he worked. After he was "fired", Lord Sugar offered him a job to work his son Daniel for his private jet company Amsair, but turned down the job on Sugar's advice, which allowed him to focus on a career in the media after the series finished.

Candidate Performance

     The candidate won The Apprentice.

     The candidate was runner-up on The Apprentice.

     The candidate won this task as project manager on his/her team.

     The candidate lost this task as project manager on his/her team.

     The candidate won the task; for Week 11, they managed to pass the interview stage.

     The candidate lost the task but was not brought back to the final boardroom.

     The candidate lost the task and was brought back to the final boardroom, but was not fired.

     The candidate was fired for reasons dictated by Lord Sugar.

     The candidate lost as project manager and was fired for reasons dictated by Lord Sugar.

     The candidate left the competition for personal reasons.

References