The Apprentice – Let the boardroom battle commence!
Meet the girls
Claire Young
Age: 29
Career: Senior Retail Buyer
Qualifications: BSC Equine Science
Lives: South London
Ìý
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa and brought up in Wakefield, Claire's first job was working at the local Beefeater restaurant. Claire is lively and bubbly but certainly not a pushover – her nickname at work was "The Rottweiler" because if she sees something she wants she grabs hold of an ankle until she gets it. Her role model is Oprah Winfrey – the billionaire business woman and fellow yo-yo dieter. She has worked in the roles of Marketing, Merchandising, Commercial Sales and most recently Retail Buying. Her passions include horse riding, going to the cinema, theatre and cooking. She claims to be the only convent-educated girl to have survived three summers in Magaluf for Club 18-30. Her motto is JDI which means "just do it".
Ìý
She says: "I am successful, I always have been. I've been doing jobs for eight years that are for people significantly older than me. I apply myself 150%."
Ìý
Helene Speight
Age: 32
Career: Global Pricing Leader
Qualifications: 9 GCSEs
Lives: Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Ìý
Helene is a quietly spoken, capable business woman who is a self confessed tomboy and enjoys being successful in a man's world. She thrives on adrenalin and claims to be ruthless, but with integrity. Over the past eight years Helene has worked her way up through the ranks to become a global pricing leader for one of the world's largest companies, despite being nearly kicked out of school with no qualifications at 16. She won two global Best Practice awards in her first year of IT management and claims to stand out "not only for the fact she is nearly 6ft tall". One of her biggest passions in life is playing football.
Ìý
She says: "I expect nothing on a plate and I am prepared to come out of my comfort zone to get ahead."
Ìý
Jenny Celerier
Age: 36
Career: Sales Manager
Qualifications: BA Marketing
Lives: Leicester
Ìý
Ballsy single Mum, Jenny believes "if you are sitting on the fence you are taking up too much space". Likeable and funny, Jenny is a stickler for detail and "will annihilate anyone when it comes to competition". Born in Ipswich, Jenny had her son at the age of 18 and while raising him, educated herself to degree level and worked her way up the career ladder. She currently oversees a team of 16 and has won several sales awards. A budding entrepreneur at an early age, she dug up all the flowers from her parent's front garden and sold them on a stand made from an orange box. She then kept the money under her bed for a year before venturing to the local sweet shop and blowing the lot on bubble gum and strawberry and custard creams.
Ìý
She says: "I've achieved. I have won awards for my selling."
Ìý
Jennifer Maguire
Age: 27
Career: Marketing Consultant
Qualifications: Leaving Certificate (equivalent of A-Levels)
Lives: Bristol
Ìý
Dubliner Jennifer is from a large, feisty family and was a champion show jumper at the age of 14. Describing herself as an "iron fist in a velvet glove" she is not afraid of hard work – "I am a success totally. I had no training. I started selling on the street. Yet when I ran an office I made £60k in the first 6 months". She now specialises in advertising for the fashion and leisure industry and was promoted within two weeks of starting her current job. She applied for the Apprentice as she wanted to throw herself into a challenge. She once worked as a waitress in New York and despite being the "worst waitress in the world" her Irish charm got her $250 in tips a night.
Ìý
She says: "I can sell pieces of paper for £50 ... I rate myself as the best salesperson in Europe."
Ìý
Lindi Mngaza
Age: 22
Career: Business Liaison Manager
Qualifications: NVQ Level 2/3 in Customer Services and IOSH 1 Managing Safety at TBG Learning
Lives: Birmingham
Ìý
Born in Manchester, Lindi is infectiously enthusiastic and likeable, although she says she will eat the other competitors alive. Her business motto is that "there is no I in team but there is an I in winner". She claims she is yet to come across a challenge that will faze her and is determined to prove that you can be successful despite being dyslexic. In her job she travels throughout the UK presenting IT legalisation to technology managers and managing directors. She was in the top 10% of earners in the UK by the age of 22. Her role model is Richard Branson because he is also dyslexic and has proved that you can still be successful despite this. She claims to have royal blood: "My nickname amongst friends is African Princess as I am from royal descendents."
Ìý
She says: "There is nobody like me (at) my age that has achieved what I have."
Ìý
Lucinda Ledgerwood
Age: 31
Career: Risk Manager
Qualifications: BSC in Psychology and Neuroscience
Lives: Edinburgh
Ìý
Born in Singapore from a privileged background, Lucinda is highly intelligent with a diverse range of qualifications and business interests. She is quirky, controlling, hard working and doesn't suffer fools gladly. As well as her degree she also has a Diploma in Traditional Chinese Medicine and is currently studying for an Aromatherapy and Herbal Medicine BSC (Hons) at Napier University in her spare time. Her first job was on the check out at Tesco and despite claiming to have never previously seen an episode of The Apprentice believes she will win: "I always win so it's a natural conclusion, I will win". Her greatest regret in life is once turning down the role as a body double for a Bond Girl.
Ìý
She says: "I am very diverse, well rounded and I always win."
Ìý
Sara Dhada
Age: 25
Career: International Car Trader
Qualifications: BA Law and Economics at University of Leicester and LLM International Commercial Law
Lives: Leicester
Ìý
Sara is a natural born entrepreneur who made money from the age of 14 buying and selling bikes from car boot sales. She describes herself as intelligent, glamorous and strong minded, "a true example of pure class and elegance". She is a trained Lawyer who saved her family company – selling cars – by taking over from her brothers and "doing her family proud". Her father is her role model – "at 25 he was a self-made millionaire". She is angered by people who don't wash their hands when going to the toilet and people who don't listen to her because she is always right! She once drove from Leicester to Mumbai, India in two weeks.
Ìý
She says: "I was born into a business family, it's in my blood. I think I will win."
Ìý
Shazia Wahab
Age: 35
Career: Mosaic Artist and Company Director
Qualifications: BA Business Studies at University of Westminster and Diploma in Marketing by Chartered Institute of Marketing
Lives: South London
Ìý
Mosaic Artist Shazia considers herself a hidden talent and a "stubborn cow who always has to have the last word". After her application was rejected in the third series she applied again as she is "up for the challenge" of working for Sir Alan. Shazia's claim to fame is that her family – parents and 11 brothers and sisters – hold a Guinness World Record for the most amount of degrees between them in the UK.
Ìý
She says: "I'm just a mosaic artist trying to prove that I'm just as good as everyone else. Only little do they know I am better! You should never judge a book by its cover as you never know what story is lurking underneath.
Ìý
Printable version