The final of the Apprentice 2026 has arrived, as the remaining two candidates prepare themselves to prove to Lord Sugar one last time why they should be his next business partner.
Pascha Myhill and Karishma Vijay are the two finalists remaining in the competition and as ever, will have to launch their business before pitching to industry experts and Lord Sugar at a black-tie event.
Over the course of 12 weeks, there have been plenty of tense boardroom exchanges, task blunders and savage firings, and it has all come down to two!
As Lord Sugar’s latest business partner will soon be revealed, here are all the Apprentice winners, from the show’s very first champion Tim to the most recent champion Dean, and what they’re up to now – as well as which of the victors have been cut off.
The Apprentice winners: Who won past seasons and where are they now?
2025 – Dean Franklin
Instagram: @deanfranklin__
Dean Franklin won Lord Sugar’s mentorship and investment in 2025, beating runner-up Anisa Khan in the process.
After one last pitch from Dean and Anisa as to why they should become his business partner, Lord Sugar made his final decision, saying: “This is the way I see it. Dean, through the process you’ve been quite good. There’ve been a few rocky moments where you remained in it by the skin of your teeth, but do I have the confidence in the residential market? As opposed to food, where everyone’s got to eat, and a £10, £12 pizza is affordable to most people. That’s where I am at the moment.
“Given deep consideration, I’m going to say that, Dean, you’re going to be my business partner.”
Dean’s air conditioning company, ADL Conditioning, that won over Lord Sugar and was awarded the quarter of a million pounds.
After finding himself on the losing team in the first episode Dean knew he “had to do better”.
He told Radio Times: “After that moment of going to the boardroom [in the] first episode and coming back to the house, I think that was the moment where it switched for me, because I’d had such a big, massive eruption when I walked back through them doors.
“Everyone was so happy that I came back, I think then it was just like, ‘Right, I’ve got to change that. I’ve got to do something different, because this ain’t working. Let’s go for it.’
“And I think that broke a lot of barriers of mine. And then I was off to a good start.”
As of 2026, Dean is still operating his business and expanding it through Lord Sugar’s investment. He has also been a frequent key note speaker at events including The Business Show and Installer Show.
2024 – Rachel Woolford
Instagram: @rachelwoolford
Rachel Woolford won Lord Sugar’s investment in the 2024 series, having impressed him with her business plan.
It was a tough decision for Lord Sugar, with him telling Rachel and finalist Phil Turner: “Let me conclude here. This is a very tough decision, I’ve got to say, because I’ve got two very, very credible people in front of me.
“I’ve got Rachel who claims she’s making money and that she’s going to make even more when she gets the second gym up and running, but gyms are – with all due respect – two-a-penny.
“Specialist pies are not and it’s a market that I’m very interested in, but how can I be interested in it if there’s no light at the end of the tunnel? There’s a loss-making business at the moment, which you tell me is going to turn around and be OK, and that’s my dilemma.
“It’s very, very hard for me. I’m having trouble here. But my gut feeling is telling me that, Rachel, you’re going to be my business partner.”
At the beginning of 2025, it was announced that with Lord Sugar’s investment, Rachel would be expanding her successful fitness space, with a brand new dedicated Reformer Pilates studio next door.
2023 – Marnie Swindells
Instagram: @marnieswindells
Marnie Swindells impressed Lord Sugar with her business plan to set up her own boxing gym.
At the time of Lord Sugar’s decision, he said: “It’s a tough one, but Marnie, you’re asking me to invest in something which is completely alien to me to be honest and you’ve never run a business before…
“…I’ve always been known to be a gambler, I’ve always been known to try new horizons so I’m going to try a new horizon… Marnie, you are going to be my business partner.”
Marnie still works closely with Lord Sugar and in May 2023, the business magnate was appointed director of Bronx Boxing Limited, as per The Mirror.
2022 – Harpreet Kaur
Instagram: @harpsi_kaur
Dessert parlour owner Harpreet Kaur was named as Lord Sugar’s business partner at the end of season 16.
In the final, Kaur beat Kathryn Louise Burn – who owns her own online pyjama brand – and secured the £250,000 investment in her dessert shop Barni’s, which has now been rebranded as Oh So Yum!
Following her win, Kaur revealed her business partner sister isn’t going anywhere, after telling Lord Sugar she’d remove her sister, who is the co-founder of Barni’s, if he only wanted to invest in her.
Harpreet is married to her fellow Apprentice star Akshay Thakrar, who came in fifth place on the show.
2019 – Carina Lepore
Instagram: @carinalepore
Lepore defeated recruitment consultant Scarlett Allen-Horton in the 15th season of The Apprentice.
Since winning The Apprentice, Carina has opened four branches of her Dough Artisan Bakehouse across the UK, including Herne Hill, Bromley, Beckenham and Shepherds Bush.
2018 – Sian Gabbidon
Instagram: @SianGabbidon
Following Gabbidon’s victory in 2018, Lord Sugar became a co-owner of her pre-existing swimwear and fashion business, Sian Marie Fashion, which since expanded to sell through ASOS.
Sian, who won the show in 2018, is believed to be the latest star to no longer be working with Lord Sugar in a long line of previous winners on the BBC show.
According to Companies House records, Lord Sugar ceased to be a director of Sian’s company as of April 2022.
The brand has since branched out into loungewear, which is stocked in ASDA.
2017 – Sarah Lynn and James White
Lynn’s Instagram: @mrs_sarah_lynn
White’s Instagram: @james91white
Lord Sugar crowned two winners on the 2017 season of The Apprentice.
While Lynn invested in her personalised sweet business, Sweet City, White used the prize money to invest in his IT and infrastructure recruitment business.
2016 – Alana Spencer
Want to see this content?
This page contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Twitter may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose ‘Accept and continue’ to allow Twitter and its required purposes.
Welsh businesswoman Spencer stormed to victory and was crowned the winner of The Apprentice in 2016.
She went on to launch a luxury cake business, Ridiculously Rich by Alana. She has since launched an Ambassador & Cakepreneur scheme, which allows those who’ve always wanted to run their own business to join the company and start their own Ridiculously Rich franchise.
2015 – Joseph Valente
Instagram: @mrjosephvalente
Valente used the prize money to invest in his plumbing company ImpraGas.
He is now the CEO of Trade Mastermind, a coaching company based in Peterborough which helps small businesses grow.
2014 – Mark Wright
Instagram: @wright_10
After being crowned the winner of season 10, Wright went on to found a digital marketing agency with Lord Sugar called Climb Online.
Wright won UK entrepreneur of the year in 2018 and was also listed on Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
In November 2022, he sold his online marketing company for £10 million, with Lord Alan Sugar telling The Sun: “From acorns, big oak trees have grown. And this young lad who came with no money is now going back to Australia with millions.”
2013 – Leah Totton
Instagram: @DrLeahTotton
Totton impressed Lord Sugar in the ninth season of The Apprentice and went on to win the show.
She then set up a chain of ethical cosmetic clinics with Lord Sugar and has since opened more branches of the Dr Leah Clinic in Essex and London.
2012 – Ricky Martin
Instagram: @rickymartin247
Martin was crowned winner of The Apprentice in 2011 and went on to run a science recruitment agency – Hyper Recruitment Solutions – following his victory.
He has also launched his own podcast, Recruit Ricky – How To Get Hired.
2011 – Tom Pellereau
Instagram: @Inventor_Tom
Pelleareau climbed his way to the top of The Apprentice season 8 in 2010, despite losing most challenges, and went on to receive a £250,000 investment in his invention Stylfile, a curved nail file.
He has since started the company Stylideas, which owns the brands Stylpro, Stylfile and Stylsmile.
2010 – Stella English
English won the 2010 season of The Apprentice, but her relationship with Lord Sugar soon turned sour.
English attempted to sue him for constructive dismissal after resigning from the £100,000-a-year job that was her prize for winning season 6 of the show, but the case was dismissed.
Talking to Lorraine Kelly and Aled Jones on Daybreak in 2020, English spoke about her resignation and its repercussions: “Despite [the high salary] I couldn’t actually physically stay there, because it was unbearable. I had no future there, I knew that’s why I resigned.
“I don’t regret going on the show because I won The Apprentice and I’m very proud of that.
“But I do regret obviously what I’ve had to go through and what my family have had to go through, and I’m very sad the repercussions that it’s had.”
She continued: “However I will stand by it, I’ve spoken the truth and I’ve stood up for myself and I‘ve had to pay for it dearly but I will never apologise for it.”
English went on to work as a Management Consultant at computer giant HP, before she began hosting Crowdbox TV, a crowdfunding TV channel, in 2014.
2009 – Yasmina Siadatan
Crowned winner of The Apprentice in 2009, Siadatan went on to join Lee McQueen at Amscreen, but left the following year after becoming pregnant and didn’t return.
She was then headhunted by Dragon’s Den star James Caan before setting up her own start-up loans company.
She currently helps run a fintech company called Dynamic Planner based in Reading.
2008 – Lee McQueen
Instagram: @lee.mcqueen
McQueen won The Apprentice season 4 despite a series of grave errors on the show, including lying on his CV – and went on to work for Lord Sugar’s healthcare company Amscreen.
McQueen left the company in 2010 to start his own recruitment agency, Raw Talent Agency, and is currently the founder and CEO of Phoenix 51, a talent assessment platform.
2007 – Simon Ambrose
Instragram: @simonambrose
After defeating Katie Hopkins and winning The Apprentice in 2007, Ambrose landed a job with Lord Sugar at his property company Armsprop before leaving to start up his own property development firm in 2010.
It was reported in 2015 that Ambrose was putting his business skills to use in a different sector, and that he was planning to open a number of bars and restaurants in London.
Simon has other hidden talents too, as he went on to serve as chairman of the London Contemporary Orchestra.
2006 – Michelle Dewberry
Instagram: @michelledewbs
Dewberry won the competition in 2006 and landed a job at Lord Sugar’s tech company Xenon Green.
However, she quit after just a few months and started a business consultancy.
She also published a book in 2007 and became a columnist for magazine Business Matters in 2009.
Dewberry also dabbled in politics after her stint on The Apprentice, standing as an independent pro-Brexit candidate in the 2017 general election in Hull West and Hessle. She joined GB News as a presenter in 2021.
2005 – Tim Campbell
Instagram: @timcampbell_mbe
Tim was the first ever winner of the BBC One business-based reality TV series back in 2005, bagging a £100,000-a-year job with Lord Sugar’s firm Amstrad.
However, he departed from Amstrad two years later to found the Bright Ideas Trust, a charity which helped young people to set up their own businesses. It has since dissolved.
Tim is also the co-author of one of Amazon’s Top 10 business books for 2010, What’s Your Bright Idea?.
What’s more, in 2012, Tim received an MBE for Enterprise Culture and currently runs his own digital marketing agency called Marketing Runner.
He has since joined The Apprentice as one of Lord Alan Sugar’s aides, stepping in for Claude Littner.
Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
