The Apprentice 2023 finalists: who made it through to final of BBC series - and what are their business plans?

Rochelle Anthony and Marnie Swindells are through to the highly anticipated final of The Apprentice. The pair prevailed from a nail biting interview which saw the five semi-finalists have their business plans and proposals scrutinised and ripped apart by Alan Sugar’s expert panel of Karen Brady, Mike Soutar, Linda Plant and the returning Claude Littner.

The two remaining finalists are both vying to earn a £250,000 investment to boost their proposal whilst also becoming the business partner of billionaire Alan Sugar. Here we take a look at the business proposals of the two finalists and what they would look to achieve if they were crowned as the winner of The Apprentice 2023.

Who has made it through to the final of The Apprentice 2023?

What we know: Rochelle Anthony is a hair salon owner who hails from Bedfordshire. She is friends with Luisa Zissman who was the runner-up of The Apprentice in 2013. In the opening episode of the apprentice Anthony describes herself as The Kim Kardashian of the business world because she is doing business with a “hint of glam.”

The 35-year-old has previously appeared on Geordie Shore The OG’s and she is the hairstylist of Marnie Simpson in a number of episodes during the MTV series. Anthony is the owner of The Dolls House Salon in Milton Keynes. The business describes itself as a friendly hair and beauty salon which caters for all hair types.

Her business specialises in hair extensions, colour corrections, sombre, ombre and balayage. On Instagram she has a following of 36,500 on her personal page and 12,900 on her Doll House business page.

Anthony claims she has extensive knowledge of the hairdressing industry. She said: “I know it like the back of my hand and Lord Sugar knows business. Together, we would be an impossible force to be reckoned with.”

What we know: Marnie Swindells is a former court advocate who is now launching her own boxing club called Bronx, in South London. Swindells is a gold medal-winning boxer and she is described as being an “imaginative businesswoman” by the BBC.

Swindells explained her decision to leave her career as a court advocate to start a business in a post on her Instagram. She said: “Walking away from a career that I literally tortured myself to get was hard, but you know what’s harder? Staying in a place when you know you have more to give.”

She went on to encourage her followers to take risks if they see an opportunity they want to pursue. She added: “Don’t play it safe, don’t get comfortable and don’t ever settle for less than what you are capable of. Be bold enough to close one chapter in order to open the next.”

Swindells believes her knowledge of boxing and her passion for the sport will help her to thrive in a business environment. Speaking to the BBC she said: “I think that the experience I have in the boxing industry and all the business that he (Sugar) has in the business industry, together we would be a winning combination.”