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Alex Britez Cabral

Motorbike enthusiast Alex who lived in Paris as a child, describes himself as "ambitious, driven, and extremely focused". Born and raised in London, Alex's first job was making tea in a small estate agents before becoming a thriving agent himself. His greatest achievement is taking a business losing money and turning it around to a fast growing profitable business within 12 months.

He says: "Fear is a great motivator. If you are successful, you are unpopular, so unpopularity is a good thing."

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Edward Hunter

Half-British and half-Afghan, Reading-born and raised Edward's first job was as a gardener at the age of 12. He successfully applied for a role in a global professional services firm headquartered in London straight after university and was hired as Senior Associate in the audit team before becoming an accountant at a FTSE 30 energy company. Trained at one of the world's leading accountancy firms, Edward describes himself as a "man with strength of character and conviction who is honest and direct".

He says: "I'm the wheeler dealer who accidentally became a finance professional and wants out."

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Gavin Winstanley

Gavin's first foray into working life was as a salesman at a high street clothing store and was made a manager at the age of 16. A passionate football fan, Gavin started up his own online opticians, which now has two high-street stores, after noticing the profit margins on glasses when working in a London department store.

He says: "I want to be a big name in UK business... I'm everything. I'm all mouth. I'm a doer. I'm a leader."

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Glenn Ward

Glenn Ward took apart and rebuilt an entire computer aged eight and his entrepreneurial streak ensued when he began washing cars in his local area at age 14. An amateur footballer, Glenn cites Mark Zuckerberg as his inspiration and describes himself as "an intelligent man with a dry sense of humour" who can "read between the lines".

He says: "Aggression isn't the best form of strength... I bring a marriage of technical thinking with a bit of salesman bravado."

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Jim Eastwood

Jim started work in his father's fish and chip shop chipping potatoes from the age of nine and went on to maintain top sales performances as a Sales and Marketing Manager. Jim, who was All Ireland cycling champion as a teenager, champions Richard Branson and describes himself as "driven, self-motivated, resilient and an eternal optimist."

He says: "I'm not a show pony or a one-trick pony, I'm not a jack-ass or a stubborn mule, and I'm definitely not a wild stallion that needs to be tamed. I am the champion thoroughbred that this process requires."

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Leon Doyle

Harrogate-born Leon, a former paper boy and lorry driver, describes himself as "charming, genuine and honest". Leon, who survived a near fatal fall from a tree at the age of 12 once completed the Great North Run for charity. A Director and Founder of an online takeaway ordering site and publishing business, Leon notes Richard Branson as inspirational.

He says: "I don't like your gimmicky salesman who thinks he can sell ice to an Eskimo. Chances are he probably can't, and why would an Eskimo buy ice?"

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Tom Pellereau

London-born Tom's first job was working on a farm sorting agricultural bulbs from mud. A keen inventor and sports enthusiast, Tom succeeded in taking a prototype made in his kitchen to the shelves of two leading pharmacy outlets in the UK. He describes himself as "creative, adventurous, loyal and enthusiastic", and cites Thomas Edison as an icon.

He says: "For me the Apprentice is a bit like the Olympics or the World Cup for entrepreneurs... I want to challenge myself, find out if I am ready to step up to this level."

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Vincent Disneur

Half-Belgian and half-Swiss, Glasgow-born Vincent is a film buff and frequent traveller with a penchant for theatre. The self-confessed perfectionist who was a Liverpool mascot as a child, names Bill Gates and Richard Branson as role models.

He says: "My positive approach and very good looks make me stand out from the crowd."