Ranked: The Apprentice businesses making the most millions for Lord Sugar

The Apprentice is all about being the best business mind there is. The candidates spend weeks trying to impress Lord Sugar, desperate for him to invest into their business plans. So it’s no surprise that some of the richest The Apprentice candidates have companies which are worth millions.

The Apprentice has an impressive zero per cent failure rate and Lord Sugar has spent over £2.5million of his own money investing in apprentices who enter the boardroom. Since his investments, some of the people Lord Sugar has worked with have gone on to make millions. These are the richest The Apprentice candidates ever, according to Companies House and markets data on how much their business are making and are worth and other announcements they have all made since being on the show.

1. Susan Ma – £22.5million

Susan Ma is the owner of Tropic Skincare – a vegan skincare company. She was on the seventh series of The Apprentice back in 2011. Despite coming in third position, she still managed to secure an investment from Lord Sugar. According to the The Times, the company is the biggest out of any Lord Sugar works with, with annual sales of £22.5million. In terms of her business net worth, she’s the richest The Apprentice candidate ever by far.

2. Joseph Valente – £3million

Lord Sugar said he could see a bit of himself in plumber Joseph Valente, who won the 2015 series. They went on to set up boiler installation company ImpraGas, which Valente says has turnover of £3million. Valente has since bought out Lord Sugar.

3. Ricky Martin – £2.2million

Ricky Martin, who won the eighth series of the show in 2012, received a £250k investment in his recruitment company Hyper Recruitment Solutions from Lord Sugar. According to CMC Markets, the company now has net assets of £2.26million.

Before appearing on the show, the professional wrestler called himself “perfection” and changed his name from Richard so he had the same name as Ricky Martin the pop star.

4. Thomas Pellereau – £1.3million

Thomas is an inventor, who appeared on series seven of The Apprentice in 2011. He won the series but Lord Sugar initially rejected his business plan and encouraged him to expand his business, Stylideas LTD, into a range of grooming products. Lord Sugar obviously knows best, because the business is now worth £1.37million.

5. Leah Totton – £664k

Leah Totton is a doctor who won series nine of The Apprentice, after a showdown between her and Luisa Zissman. She has her own skin clinic under the name Dr Leah Clinic and is still an NHS doctor. Her business is now valued at £664k.

6. Mark Wright – £442k

Mark Wright won series 10 of The Apprentice when he was 24-years-old. Mark is Australian-born and was a sales manager when he entered the show. He’s the founder and director of Climb Online, a digital marketing agency based in London. The business net worth is £442,626.

7. Carina Lepore – £342k

Carina Lepore may have only won the most recent series of the show, but she’s gone straight into the list of one of the most successful businesses Lord Sugar has ever invested in. She owns Dough Artisan Bakehouse, and in 2020 the company filed profits of £342k. Alan Sugar announced on Instagram in late 2021 that Carina had just opened her third branch of the bakery.

8. Sarah Lynn – £264k

Sarah Lynn won the show in 2017. She won alongside James White and it was the first time Lord Sugar has chosen two winners to invest in. She’s the founder of Sweets In The City, which is now valued at £264,099.

9. James White – £168k

Next up is James White, who won series 13 alongside Sarah Lynn. He owns a recruitment company, Right Time Recruitment, which is worth £167,938.

10. Sian Gabbidon – £130k

The final candidate is Sian Gabbidon. Sian is the owner of Sian Marie Fashion, and won The Apprentice in 2018, securing investment from Lord Sugar. Her swimwear brand has expanded to loungewear and clothing, and she’s now stocked in ASDA stores. According to Companies House, Sian’s business is now worth around £130k.

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