Three West Midlands women are battling it out to escape Sir Alan Sugar’s firing line in the latest series of The Apprentice.
Marketing director Joy Stefanicki and investment banker Liz Locke, both from Birmingham, join Warwickshire development manager Laura Moore as regional hopefuls.
The sixth series launches next Wednesday on BBC1 when 16 contestants will aim to impress the multi-millionaire plus his new sidekick, former Birmingham City managing director Karren Brady.
This year’s candidates include PR guru Joy, aged 31, who used to work at Deloitte in BrindleyPlace, and Crosby Homes.
Liz, aged 24, has experience in investment banking, property development and project management and claims to be a fashion and food aficionado and health fanatic.
And 22-year-old Laura, brought in more than £500,000 of sales in her first year as a management consultant. The trained violinist and keen astronomer called Anita Roddick one of her biggest business inspirations.
During the series, the hopefuls will open a fashion boutique, run a bakery, flog crisps in Germany, design and market a new cleaning product, treat unsuspecting tourists to open-top bus tours around the capital, and invent a new beach product in a string of merciless missions with no second chances.
On replacing Margaret Mountford on the show, Brady said: “We’re not their friends, we’re not their mentors, we’re not their advisor. Our job is purely to observe and watch what they do so we can give an accurate report. We don’t fraternise.”
