This is not a drill: Joe from this year’s The Apprentice went to Exeter and was a rugby boy

Penryn finally getting some recognition


The Apprentice has finally returned much to the delight of students who have yet another excellent programme to help them procrastinate (and especially for those business students who claim watching it is “revision”), with a whole new cast of entrepreneurial individuals ready to battle it out for Lord Sugar’s approval.

But if procrastination alone wasn’t enough for Exeter students, there’s an extra incentive to watch this year, as one of the hopefuls is Exeter Uni’s own Joe Phillips.

He studied at Exeter’s Penryn campus in Cornwall – just in case you didn’t already know he was a beach-loving surfer – and graduated from the uni in 2020 with a first in zoology.

If, like the rest of the UK, you’ve already stalked Joe’s Instagram, you’ll know he’s a classic Exetah boy, having been part of the uni’s rugby team. Although his Insta also reveals he’s a massive dog person too so he has truly redeemed himself.

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A post shared by Joe Phillips (@joe.phillips7)

In case his surfing Insta pics weren’t enough to make you swoon, beach girlies out there will be melting to know his business is a small brand which creates sustainable, ocean-friendly lip-balm, designed for surfers and built for British weather. Joe says he “fell in love with” the Cornish coastline whilst at uni, making it his mission to create a brand that married sustainability with the Cornish life-style.

As well as his business, Joe has been working as a safari guide in South Africa since graduating, truly living up his zoology degree.

You can watch Joe on The Apprentice on BBC One every Thursday at 9pm.

Featured image via Instagram @joe.phillips7 and BBC

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