It’s back to business for Lord Alan Sugar, as The Apprentice is back for its 2024 series with a brand new batch of brazenly bold entrepreneurs.
Once again, the business magnate will be advised by his trusted aides Baroness Karren Brady and former winner Tim Campbell MBE as they try to discover which contestant has the best potential for a lucrative partnership.
A huge £250,000 investment and the chance to be mentored by Lord Sugar is on the cards for whoever is announced the winner at the end of the gruelling process, which will feature tasks involving selling, haggling, creativity, determination and ruthlessness.
From a failed Dragons’ Den star to two pie experts, a 00s one hit wonder and a body popper who appeared on Britain’s Got Talent, it’s anyone’s guess at this point who’ll be the frontrunners and who’ll be brutally fired in the boardroom.
So who’s got what it takes to go all the way? Let’s meet the cast.
Who is in the cast of The Apprentice 2024?
Amina Khan
Amina, from Ilford, has been a qualified pharmacist for over a decade and is also the owner of a skincare and supplements brand, which she said made a turnover of £1million within two years of launching.
Describing herself as a ‘massive risk taker’ and ‘one of the hardest working women I know’, she explained how she has been a hard worker even since her younger years, having witnessed her parents ‘trying to make ends meet’ after immigrating.
Amina is adamant that she and Lord Sugar would ‘dominate the market overnight’ if they joined forces.
Dr Asif Munaf
Dr Asif Munaf is from Sheffield and as well as working in the medical profession – which involved doing 12-hour shifts during Covid – he has also launched a wellness brand focused on healthy vitamins and supplements.
The Apprentice isn’t his first foray into TV, as the doctor also tried to push his brand D.A.T.E Smoothie on Dragons’ Den… and was unsuccessful.
Despite receiving harsh critiques from the Dragons at the time, with Touker Suleyman even telling him that he’s ‘not a businessman’, in hindsight Dr Asif is grateful that he ‘learnt some real business insights’ from the panel.
Flo Edwards
Flo, a recruitment consultant from London, started her own consultancy company, and says that she has a ‘proven track record of generating revenue’.
While some of the new stars of The Apprentice were reluctant to say that they’ve ever failed at anything, Flo was willing to acknowledge past mistakes, stating: ‘Failing is part of any job and I make them every day.
‘If you don’t fail and make mistakes, you’ll never learn and grow. I just make sure I don’t try to repeat the same one!’
Foluso Falade
Foluso, a project manager from Manchester, emphasises that ‘making a difference’ moves her far more than making money.
The entrepreneur started a business with the aim of helping young people, and took inspiration from her mother who has owned a shop in their city for 25 years.
Foluso is committed to ‘building an empire in an ethical way, whilst raising up inspiring people along the way’.
Jack Davies
Jack, a recruitment director from Bristol, is very proud of the fact that he earned five promotions in the space of seven years in his field, reaching the level of director.
He claims to have never had a business fail, saying that ‘failure is never an option’, and he believes he’s deserving of Lord Sugar’s investment due to his ‘work ethic and drive to succeed’.
He added: ‘I have a food review page on social media. Check it out and give us a follow!’
Maura Rath
Maura, the owner of yoga company from Wexford, is told that her business helps her customers to experience a ‘little bubble of self-love’, and to ‘move stronger and more freely than before’.
In addition to her expertise as a yoga teacher, she is also a keen cold water swimmer, frequently venturing for swims in the Irish Sea at all times of the year.
‘I believe I deserve Lord Sugar’s investment because my business promotes
positivity and well-being, in a profitable and scalable way, with five income
streams,’ she said.
Noor Bouziane
At the age of 20, Noor launched her jewellery company, and over the years she’s learnt to ‘be very disciplined in the daily organisation of her business’ as a result.
Hailing from Liverpool, she promised that she’ll be able to ‘generate a loto f money’ for Lord Sugar.
Noor admitted that one time a business decision didn’t pay off, as she received a stock of poor quality jewellery, but she has since learnt from the error.
Oliver Medforth
Oliver, a sales executive from Yorkshire, runs five retail shops on behalf of his family-run distillery, which makes gins.
He’s convinced that if there’s a selling task on the new series of The Apprentice – which there undoubtedly will be – then he’ll sail through with flying colours thanks to his professional background.
Dubbing himself a ‘selling machine’, he claimed that when he’s in the zone, ‘there aren’t many customers that leave without buying’.
Onyeka Nweze
Onyeka, a chartered company secretary from London, claims that she’s yet to experience any semblance of a business failure.
In addition to her business brain, she is also a makeup artist and a dab hand at interior decoration, so her wide variety of skills could come in handy for any creative tasks that the candidates are challenged to complete.
Predicting that her tech business will make £10m in five years, Onyeka said that ‘if Lord Sugar is ready to make some serious money, then he needs me’.
Paul Bowen
One of two pie experts in the competition, Paul is the director of a pie company that’s been a supplier to Manchester City Football Club for five years.
Based in Lancashire, the entrepreneur also sounds as though he has a fondness for adrenaline, as he’s previously raced in British Motocross.
Admitting that organisation and planning is his ‘weakness’, Paul reckons that combining his ‘passion and ideas’ with Lord Sugar’s ‘strategy’ will be a recipe for success.
Dr Paul Midha
Dr Paul, the owner of a dental group in Leeds, invested a great deal of money into his first dental practice, a decision that paid off greatly for him.
The dentist has a surprising skill, as his body-popping has landed him an audition for Britain’s Got Talent in the past, as well as the chance to appear as an extra on a Disney TV show.
Dr Paul wants to ‘revolutionise the healthcare attire market’, and is ‘ready for the extensive learning ahead’.
Phil Turner
When he was 21 years old, Phil took his parents’ small bakery and transformed it ‘into a seven-figure profitable business’, he said.
The owner of a pie company hailing from Bognor Regis, the businessman lives by the motto ‘we win or we learn’, stressing that any failure he has ever experienced in life has been ‘necessary for growth’.
‘I deserve Lord Sugar’s investment because I already have a track record of successfully building and scaling a business. I have learnt how to run a business the hard way, and now I feel like it’s time to take my business to the next level,’ he said.
Rachel Woolford
Rachel, a boutique fitness studio owner from Leeds, opened up her business in the middle of Covid, and yet still managed to gain a loyal client base while having to cope with the restrictions in place at the time.
She appears to have had a business mindset ever since she was a child, as when she was seven years old, her mum once found her on the side of the road trying to sell her toys.
Rachel stressed how much it helped her to learn the importance of delegating and outsourcing, which made her understand the phrase ‘work on your business, not in it’.
Raj Chohan
Raj, a mortgage broker from Leamington Spa, has been recognised in the past for her business acumen, being awarded Mortgage Broker of the Year in September 2023, and receiving the Silver Award for Best Businesswoman in Finance.
The businesswoman believes that her life experience combined with the professional expertise would make her a very appealing partner to work with Lord Sugar.
‘Working with me, I am receptive to change and take feedback well. I value experience and professional advice. I want to be the UK’s leading lady within the bridging world of finance!’ she said.
Sam Saadet
Sam, a pre and post-natal fitness coach from Essex, decided to launch her business to help other mums in a similar position to her own, as a mum of two young children.
She stressed that she’s deserving of Lord Sugar’s investment because she’s ‘one of the savviest, go-getting women’ that she knows.
‘This business is all focused on something I am very passionate about whilst also
making money too – it’s a win win,’ she said.
Steve Darken
Steve, a management consultant from London, explained that he’s partnered with ‘some of the biggest companies in the world’ through his line of work, stating that he’s worked on strategies ‘that have boosted their bottom line by millions’.
He also has a creative background, as he used to make low budget films, including horror movies and R&B music videos… and even had a film that was shown at the Cannes Film Festival.
Steve says that his ‘CV speaks for itself’, and knows that ‘Lord Sugar would be an incredible mentor’.
Tre Lowe
Tre, a music and wellness entrepreneur from London, previously formed a band called Architechs with his brother Ashley, a venture that he described as ‘something truly special’ after they managed to bag a top three single with dancefloor bop Body Groove.
‘Though my brother is no longer alive – the music we made in this partnership certainly is and will impact future generations too,’ he said.
Tre had to give up DJing due to suffering from severe tinnitus, and went on to create a personal training and wellbeing business, saying that he is ‘utterly passionate about impacting people’s lives’.
Virdi Singh Mazaria
Virdi, a music producer from Leicester, is determined to encourage Lord Sugar to invest in his music business, having DJed in several countries around the world.
He used to work as an auditor for the big four, but quit his role a month before the Covid outbreak to pursue music full-time.
‘At the time, it was my biggest business fail however, what I learnt was, when everything fails, how to improvise and get myself back up. Which is what I did,’ he said.
The Apprentice returns on Thursday February 1 at 9pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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