The Apprentice: Shropshire councillor with 'diverse experience' among 2023 candidates
A Shropshire councillor and Birmingham sales rep have been announced in the line-up of this year's BBC Apprentice.
The Apprentice returns to screens this Thursday with Lord Sugar running the rule over 18 candidates.
In the 17th series of the show, the 18 candidates will battle it out for a £250,000 investment in their business from the business tycoon.
Of the 18 candidates, one is Gregory Ebbs, a councillor from Whitchurch, Shropshire, who owns an online antiques business and has previously worked as a professional cannon-firer.
Speaking in a promotional video on the BBC Apprentice Facebook page, Gregory says: "My motto is, life is a waste of time, and time is a waste of life.
"So if you get wasted all the time, you'll have the time of your life."
On Gregory's profile on the BBC website he adds: "My USP is my ability to think outside the box and try out new and different things. I think I’ve got a really clear vision of what I want in the future and that is substantiated from having diverse experience in different fields and my willingness to try things that very few people will do.
"My biggest weakness, some could call a strength in my opinion, is sometimes being a little too unusual. Some people might think, ‘why did you go to Malta to fire cannons when you could be earning so much more in the City of London?’. But I would say, a willingness to try different things and not being afraid to be slightly different is one of my biggest strengths.
"I deserve Lord Sugar’s investment because I’ve got the experience and the vision to push my business forward and make it a resounding success. I think the chances of making this business super successful is greater than anybody else’s, because it’s such a fantastic principle. I think I’m leading the way in e-commerce for antiques."
On the Whitchurch Town Council website, Gregory, 25, is described as a military antiques expert, website designer and entrepreneur in the town. Having lived in Wales, Malta, Thailand and Poland over the years, Gregory returned to Whitchurch amid the Covid 19 pandemic with the goal of seeking a career within the United Kingdom.
Gregory Ebbs has a BSc in International Relations, and a Msc from the University of Malta in Strategic Management and Public Policy.
Gregory first moved to Whitchurch at the age of 16 to pursue his A level studies at Sir John Talbots College. Whilst at college, Gregory was an active participant in local youth groups including the Whitchurch Youth Council at the Beechtree Community Centre and the local Air Cadet Squadron.
As one of the youngest councillors in the county, Gregory wants to use his professional and educational experience to improve the lives of people in the community, create more jobs and activities for the youth of Whitchurch and increase the presence of the police in the community.
Another candidate, Simba Rwambiwa, is a senior sales representative from Birmingham.
According to his profile on the BBC Apprentice website, he says he is more than ready to challenge the status quo of the business world and is a self-confessed 'perfectionist'.
He adds: "My USP is myself. If people can’t buy into you, they’ll never buy anything from you.
"My biggest weakness is that I’m a perfectionist, I always want to get things right.
"I deserve Lord Sugar’s business investment because I have a business that not only guarantees profit, but also guarantees to improve the quality of peoples’ lives."
Simba studied at Kingsbury school and sports college, before going onto study business and management at Aston Business School.
He previously worked as a business development manager at Falcon Carers, in Stafford from July 2020 until January 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Another candidate, Joe Phillips, is from Blackwell, Worcestershire, near Bromsgrove.
Joe describes himself as 'the James Bond of the business world', with a degree in Zoology.
After working in South Africa as a safari guide, he is now hoping to use that experience to give him the edge.
He said: "I studied zoology and animal behaviour and specialised at being a safari guide in South Africa. So, I think with regards to entering The Apprentice, that gives me the edge I need, to be unique enough to succeed in the process.
"I remember when I first got diagnosed with Dyslexia, I broke down in tears. I genuinely felt like it was a weakness that was going to hold me back and it kind of was, I really struggled to keep my head above water at school. Having said that, it’s a weakness that is also my greatest strength. At school I was determined not to let it hold me back and today I use it to drive my success. Because I struggled so much with it, I work hard just to keep up with everyone else. Today it’s not enough just to keep up. I want to prove to everyone that having dyslexia isn’t something that will hold you back, it’s something that will drive you to success!
"I don’t deserve Lord Sugar’s investment more than anyone else in the process, but I do think I have something that they don’t. If Lord Sugar wants to invest in a business to help save the ocean, one lip balm at a time, then I’m his guy."
