The Apprentice rich list – from fired star now worth £13m to contestants who splash cash on Ibiza trips and Ferraris
ARMED with swagger and a dogged determination to get to the top, these Apprentice candidates were always going to be successful.
Since starring on the BBC show, a handful of Lord Sugar‘s proteges have gone on to carve out a name for themselves within their field – and made a mint in the process.
Ahead of tonight’s final, we take a look at the richest former Apprentice stars to date, how they made their fortune, and what they’ve splashed their cash on…
Alex Mills
Net worth: £16million
Apprentice star Alex Mills must be laughing all the way to the bank.
Having been fired by Lord Alan Sugar in 2013 aged just 22, he is now making mega money thanks to his insurance firm, Dynamo Cover – and is top of the Apprentice rich list.
The firm employs 30 people in Barry, South Wales, and is already worth £16million.
The former contestant landed a spot on the Times Young Rich List, and is so successful that he even drives a flashy red Ferrari 488, and recently bought a £390,000 jet-black Rolls Royce Cullinan which he designed himself.
He lives in a mansion which boasts electric gates emblazoned with a three foot golden ‘M’ which he jokes stands for ‘Mills Manor’.
Susan Ma
Net worth: £4.6million
Susan Ma owns Tropic Skincare, and starred on the seventh series of The Apprentice way back in 2011.
Despite coming third, she still managed to secure an investment from Lord Sugar.
She still runs the natural, vegan and cruelty-free skincare brand she started on a Greenwich market stall aged just 15.
Her success has meant she’s been able to experience plenty of luxury holidays, most recently posting about a trip to Richard Branson’s Necker Island and a spa break.
She is also somewhat of a philanthropist, raising £150k for food bank charity The Trussell Trust.
Tom Pellereau
Net worth: £1.1million
Inventor Tom also appeared on series seven of The Apprentice in 2011.
He was the first winner of The Apprentice in its current format, in which Lord Sugar awards a £250,000 business investment rather than a job at his firm.
His first invention aged 10 was a ‘dismantle-abra’ – a dismantling candle stick for his grandmother.
Now, Tom is the founding CEO of beauty company, STYLIDEAS.
He went on to launch a number of cosmetic products, including a curved nail file and makeup brush sanitiser.
Tom appears to still be chummy with Lord Sugar, sharing snaps of them together on Instagram.
Ricky Martin
Net worth: £2.26million
Ricky was crowned winner of The Apprentice in June 2012 and has since successfully set up and expanded his own specialist recruitment consultancy using the investment from Lord Sugar.
Hyper Recruitment Solutions focuses on mid-level to senior appointments for the science and technology industry worldwide and was recently reported to have assets of £2.26m.
This makes him the most successful winner of the show.
Ricky now has two kids with wife Gemma, as well as three cats, a rabbit and a hamster, and his Instagram is littered with sweet family snaps and ‘positivity’ posts to promote his business.
Leah Totton
Net worth: £661k
Leah won the show in 2013 after competing with the likes of Celebrity Big Brother star Luisa Zissman, and founded her own chain of skin clinics the following year.
As well as being business savvy, Leah is also a medical doctor, an award-winning cosmetic doctor and a skincare specialist with a post graduate diploma in dermatology.
Speaking about how Lord Sugar helped her, she said: “People think when the show ends, and you are crowned the Apprentice, you don’t have much to do with Lord Sugar.
“It couldn’t be further from the truth. I spoke to that man every day for a year because I did not have any experience in opening or running a business. I needed a lot of support in that first year.”
Dr Leah – whose Instagram is awash with envy-inducing snaps of her on exotic holidays – is now a mum to four-month-old daughter Lilah, whom she shares with golfer boyfriend Justin Harding.
Mark Wright
Net worth: £442k
Mark won the £250k investment prize from Lord Sugar in the 2014 series, and started his digital marketing agency, Climb Online.
It became the most successful company to have gained investment through the BBC show, bringing in £5million in its second year and employs more than 30 members of staff.
Then, last year Mark sold his online marketing company for £10million after an initial £250,000 investment from Sir Alan Sugar.
He now showcases his luxury lifestyle on Instagram to his 20k followers, partying in Ibiza with Wayne Lineker, and giving out business advice.
Sarah Lynn
Net worth: £264k
Sarah Lynn was on the show in 2017, when Lord Sugar couldn’t decide on a winner, so picked two.
She won alongside James White, and received a £250k investment, enabling her to launch her personalised confectionary company, Sweets In The City.
The business was launched in 2010, under the name Sarah’s Chic Sweets.
Since the show the business has gone from strength to strength, supplying beautifully-packaged gifts to sweet lovers all over the UK and stocked in Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Selfridges.
However, last year Sarah and Lord Sugar parted ways, with Sarah gaining full control over the business.
James White
Net worth: £168k
James White was joint-winner in series 13, alongside Sarah Lynn, and gained a £250k to invest in his company, Right Time Recruitment, which specialises in recruitment within the IT and consultancy industries.
In 2020 James and Lord Sugar parted ways, with James saying at the time: “I am very grateful for everything Lord Sugar has done for me.
“The knowledge and advice gained from Lord Sugar and his team has been invaluable.”