Meet The Apprentice 2017 candidates: from a part-time hip hop dancer to a modest fashion designer

One of the 18 hopefuls will become Alan Sugar's business partner 
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Forget the tasks, the aides and even Lord Sugar, when it comes to The Apprentice, it’s all about the candidates.

With their cheesy business mottos, unlikely romances and boardroom bust-ups, the would-be business partners never fail to keep us entertained.

Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s crop of contestants.

Name: Andrew Brady
Age: 26 Occupation: Project Engineer
Lives: Cheshire

Aerospace project engineer Brady says his best business quality is his relentless work ethic. He cites his coal miner grandad as an inspiration as ‘he was the hardest worker you could ever know’, but admits he can’t always hold his tongue, especially if people are not pulling their weight, which can get him into trouble. Andrew believes that his confidence will help him get far in the process.

He says: “I don’t blow smoke up someone’s behind. If someone deserves credit, I will give them it.”

Business brains: this year's Apprentice candidates
BBC/Jim Marks

Name: Anisa Topan
Age: 36
Occupation: Owner, PR Fashion Agency
Lives: Surrey

Topan owns her own fashion PR consultancy and is all about action; so much so that she admits she can get irritated if people are slow to grasp concepts. Despite finding it hard to listen and sometimes missing things when she is excited about an idea, Topan says is good at ‘winning’ in business

She says: “I’ve got everything Lord Sugar needs in a business partner. I’m passionate, dynamic and persistent – he’ll love that."

Name: Bushra Shaikh
Age: 34
Occupation: Owner, Clothing Company
Lives: Surrey

Bushra Shaikh
BBC/Jim Marks

Shaikh is owner and designer of her own modest fashion label, creating luxury apparel for Muslim women. Inspired by Coco Chanel, she believes her skills and determination are all she needs to succeed in The Apprentice, but she’s known to be pushy to get what she wants.

She says: “I’ve been raised not to be a pushover. In the words of Destiny’s Child: ‘I’m an independent woman.”

Name: Charles Burns
Age: 24
Occupation: Management Consultant
Lives: Manchester

Burns has his fingers in many business pies, including a management consultancy, a watch trading company and a comparison website. He believes his best qualities are his passion, drive and determination but admits he can talk too much and doesn’t always listen. The 24-year-old plays by the rules, but admits he will stop at nothing to win.

He says: “When life throws you lemons, make and sell lemonade for a healthy profit.”

Name: Danny Grant
Age: 32
Occupation: Owner, Online Retail Store
Lives: Kent

Grant believes his best quality is his loyalty, but warns he’s not ‘a doormat’ and his trust shouldn’t be taken for granted. He runs an e-retail cosmetic business but admits to being disorganised and regularly leaving things to the last minute. The businessman prides himself on being straightforward and honest, but can sometimes rub people up the wrong way ‘because the truth is hard to hear’.

He says: “I don’t get on with people with a stick up their arse”.

Elizabeth McKenna
BBC/Jim Marks

Name: Elizabeth McKenna
Age: 39
Occupation: Owner Florist Chain
Lives: Nottinghamshire

Elizabeth describes herself as a ‘slightly bonkers country girl’ and has a love of dogs and horses. She is a hands on practical person and will have a go at doing any job. She thinks her killer business instincts mean she’s good at making snap decisions, she says what she thinks and shoots from the hip.

She says: “My big feet are good for two things; getting me into trouble as they’re as big as my mouth and I constantly get them stuck in it, but... they also kick butt.”"

Name: Elliot Van Emden
Age: 31
Occupation: Owner Legal Firm
Lives: London

To friend, Van Emden is known as ‘Tory boy’ as he used to work with David Cameron in his pre-prime ministerial days. He believes ‘what you see is what you get’ with him, and he aims to band together with stronger candidates early on to secure his place in the final.

He says: “Sometimes to get to the top, you have to grease the pole behind you”.

Harrison Jones
BBC

Name: Harrison Jones
Age: 27
Occupation: Sales Executive
Lives: Watford

Jones started his own landscaping business aged 19 and is currently working on a number of business ventures including property development, a healthy eating brand and a luxury streetwear label. Aware that he must work hard to be successful, the 27-year-old believes he has exactly what is needed to achieve his dreams.

He says: “I have a good work ethic and am always willing to work to full capacity to achieve my goals.”

Name: Jade English
Age: 25
Occupation: PR & Marketing Manager
Lives: Manchester

In her role as a PR and marketing manager, English creates content to advertise and enhance her clients’ presence on social media. She's convinced she has the ability to pick up on people’s behaviours, and therefore finds it easy to make friends and build rapport. She thinks her greatest business skills are her creativity and passion.

She says: “I’m extremely emotionally intelligent and able to get the best out of people. I am a brilliant negotiator and I’m not all talk – I put every weird idea into action and gets results.”

Name: James White
Age: 26
Occupation: Owner, Recruitment Firm
Lives: Birmingham

White runs his own IT recruitment business and considers his drive and ‘unrivalled’ ambition to be his best qualities. He says he also has good energy, and his 'charming' nature works well in business. He used to have the nickname ‘Del Boy’, and enjoys white collar boxing as a hobby.

He says: “Intimidation is what motivates me. I want to be bigger and more successful than anyone else.”

Jeff Wan
BBC/Jim Marks

Name: Jeff Wan
Age: 28
Occupation: Business Analyst
Lives: London

Jeff is a business analyst and semi-pro hip-hop dancer. Over the past 10 years he has trained several times a week, even performing at the O2 Arena. He hopes to succeed in business and build a legacy as admirable as Lord Sugar’s empire. He has been a fan of The Apprentice since he was a teenager.

He says: “I bring character, charm and swagger to the table. Coupled with my professional and educational experience, I am sure I will be able to separate myself from the rest.”

Name: Joanna Jarjue
Age: 23
Occupation: Digital Marketing Manager
Lives: Manchester

In her current role, Jarjue creates multi-channel strategies to improve the digital footprint of companies. She considers being determined and a great talker to be her best qualities and hates being patronised.

She says: “My demeanour can be related to the saying ‘Don’t wake a sleeping lion’ - If you underestimate me I might just bite.”

Name: Michaela Wain
Age: 33
Occupation: Business Owner, Construction
Lives: Bolton

Michaela Wain
BBC/Jim Marks

Wain mostly works on the day-to-day operations of a construction company, alongside her role at several other companies in the building sector. She believes she is very easy-going and tries to see the positive in all situations, but admits she can sometimes have a short fuse. Working as a woman in a very male-dominated industry, Wain says she despises men who talk down to her.

She says: “I have no patience for people who say stupid stuff, and I can’t cope with lazy people.”

Name: Ross Fretten
Age: 29
Occupation: Digital Product Consultant
Lives: Essex

In his current job, Fretten helps businesses launch and improve their digital products and services. He doesn’t have a role model, preferring to trust his own judgement and forge his own path rather than following in the footsteps of others. He plans to sit back and let people ‘dig their own graves’ before burying them in the boardroom.

He says: “I’m usually the smartest person in any room and I’ll make sure people know that.

Name: Sajan Shah
​Age: 24 Occupation: Owner Event Company
Lives: London
Alongside running his business supplying entertainment to events, Shah works at a health and safety consultancy as the Head of HR. He claims that the majority of candidates will be using him as their role model after the series, and believes his greatest quality is his ability to read people, but does admit that sometimes he doesn’t listen enough.

He says: “I am like a Chinese dish – potent, deliciously driven, full of flavour and I sure do sizzle.”

Sajan Shah
BBC/Jim Marks

Name: Sarah Jayne Clark
Age: 25
Occupation: Owner Clothing Company
Lives: Derbyshire

Clark owns a ladies’ fashion shop and believes her loyalty is one of her best qualities. She thinks it’s vital to be determined and strong-willed in business. She loves being her own boss and cites that being herself and never letting her guard down will help her win.

She says: “I am the definition of a girl boss – I get things done and make things happen.”

Name: Sarah Lynn
Age: 35
Occupation: Owner Confectionery Company
Lives: London

Lynn created and leads a sweet gifting business that focuses on confectionery products for retailers and corporate clients. She considers herself to be a ‘people person’, and believes her ability to sell is one of her greatest assets. The 35-year-old doesn’t think she needs tactics to win, intending to simply be herself throughout the process.

She says: “Women are like tea bags – you don’t know how strong they are until you put them in hot water.”

Name: Siobhan Smith
Age: 34
Occupation: Owner, Wedding Company
Lives: London

Smith owns and runs a wedding service company for couples in the UK who want to get married in Dubai. She considers herself to be very direct, but concedes people sometimes take her honesty the wrong way. Her role model is Colonel Sanders, founder of KFC – as ‘at the age of 65, he had knocked on over 1,000 doors over a period of two years trying to sell his recipe before getting his first yes, he never gave up on his dream.’

She says: “I fly aeroplanes, scuba dive, jump off cliffs, paraglide; I’m a blogger and a mother - as well as running my wedding planning business. A lot of people call me superwoman.”

The Apprentice 2017 starts on Wednesday, October 4 on BBC One.

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