Lord Alan Sugar has been the face of The Apprentice since it’s launch in the UK in 2005.
Since then, he’s hired and fired countless candidates hoping to impress him, as well as offer investments to those whose business ventures he believed in.
Tonight, the 18th season of the long-running reality series is back, with 18 candidates set to be put through their paces.
The winner will eventually receive a £250,000 investment in their business.
Helping him decide the winner will be his advisors Baroness Karren Brady, as well as the series’ first ever winner Tim Campbell.
But as he prepares to throw his support behind someone else, just how did Lord Sugar become one of the richest men in the country?
How did Alan Sugar make his money?
The London-born business magnate has an estimated net worth of £1.21bn, currently making him the 138th-richest person in the UK.
He made much of his wealth after he started selling electrical products before moving into low-cost hi-fi systems and personal computers in the 1980s.
In 1968, he started what would later become his largest business venture, consumer electronics company Amstrad.
In 2007, he sold his remaining interest in the company in a deal to BSkyB for £125M.
From 1991 until 2001 he was also the chairman and part-owner of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.
He sold his remaining stake in the club for £25 million in 2007.
According to the Sunday Times Rich List, Lord Sugar became a billionaire in 2015.
He also now involved in the government as an Enterprise Champion to the Business Secretary.
Aside from his starring role on The Apprentice UK, he also assumed the role for The Celebrity Apprentice Australia in 2021.
During his time on the franchise, he has also invested in at least 10 businesses, some of which are turning over tens of millions themselves. It really is a foolproof strategy he has going on.
Lord Sugar does not make any money from appearing on the show though, as he donates his pay to Great Ormond Street Hospital.
How did Alan Sugar become a lord?
On 20 July 2009, he was made Baron Sugar, of Clapton, in the London Borough of Hackney.
He made his maiden speech in the House of Lords on 25 November 2009.
From 1997 until 2015, Lord Sugar was a member of the Labour Party and also one of its largest donors.
However, in 2015, four days after the 2015 United Kingdom general election, he announced that he was leaving the party.
In 2019 he endorsed the Conservative Party in the 2019 general election.
What does Alan Sugar do now?
Lord Sugar now owns Amsprop alongside his son Daniel, which is a business investing in commercial property across London and Essex.
Its clients include Tesco and the Hard Rock Café.
This business has turned over up to £200million a year in past years.
He also has also had other business interests in companies including Amsair, Viglen Ltd, Amscreen and YouView.
The Apprentice returns tonight at 9pm on BBC One.
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