Simon Ambrose

Last updated

Simon Ambrose
Born
London, United Kingdom
Occupation(s) Chartered Surveyor
Internet entrepreneur
Website www.simonambrose.com

Simon Ambrose is a British businessman and the 2007 winner of the third series of the British version of reality TV show The Apprentice , in which contestants compete for a job working for British TV personality [1] Sir Alan Sugar. [2] In 2007 Simon became the first Apprentice winner to also be a TV Actor. [3] He is now Chairman of the London Contemporary Orchestra. [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Background

Ambrose enjoyed a very affluent childhood, attending Westminster School, [7] and was a member of Rigaud's house, before graduating from Magdalene College, Cambridge, with a BA in Economics.[ citation needed ] He worked for investment bank Credit Suisse in London [8] and then ran his own Internet shopping business[ citation needed ] before applying for The Apprentice. He is a member of Mensa having received an IQ score of 174 (SD 24) at 13 years old.[ citation needed ] He is the son of businessman Russell Ambrose, who founded and still owns Optimax, a chain of laser eye surgery clinics in the UK. [9] His grandfather also enjoyed entrepreneurial success as a jeweller. The success of both spurred Simon to succeed in the business environment. [10]

The Apprentice

Ambrose was hired by Alan Sugar in the final episode of series three of The Apprentice , which aired on BBC One on 13 June 2007, after he defeated fellow finalist Kristina Grimes. Ambrose was project manager of his team twice in the show, in weeks 7 and 10, and was on the winning team 5 out of the 10 tasks and also on the losing team 5 out of the 10 tasks, and passed the interview stage putting him to the final. [11] [12] Ambrose's and Grimes's task in the finale was to design money-making buildings to be sited on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. [13]

Working for Amsprop

After his Apprentice victory, Ambrose was assigned a role at Sugar's property company Amsprop. He was also training as a surveyor. He was to be in charge of developing a hotel and golf course near Stansted Airport, and it was reported that he and Lord Sugar were planning on building London's most expensive office and might bid for a prime site on London's St. James's Square. [14]

As of March 2008, Ambrose had reportedly "been working diligently on a property website that allows buyers to speed up legal obstacles". [15] As of March 2009, he had reportedly relaunched www.amsprop.com – "a one-stop shop giving customers instant access to all of AMSPROP's portfolio". [16] However, in April 2010 he was reported to be leaving to start his own venture. [17]

In December 2015, he was reported to be operating several London bars and restaurants, and serving as chairman of the London Contemporary Orchestra. [18]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ The Observer profile: Sir Alan Sugar | Business | The Guardian
  2. ↑ Apprentice winner Stella English to sue Lord Sugar - Telegraph
  3. ↑ "Simon named The Apprentice winner". BBC News. 14 June 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  4. ↑ "News". London Contemporary Orchestra. 6 August 2010. p. 2. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  5. ↑ "Simon Ambrose: passion will out". The Times . Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  6. ↑ "Simon Ambrose appointed LCO Chairman". London Contemporary Orchestra Official Website. 5 February 2009.
  7. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ↑ mirror Administrator (12 June 2007). "WE HATE APPRENTICE KATIE". mirror.
  9. ↑ "Russell Ambrose, Founder of Optimax Laser Eye Surgery Specialists". optimax.co.uk.
  10. ↑ The Apprentice: Beyond the Boardroom, BBC, 3 June 2007
  11. ↑ "Episode: 7 The 97 pence victory". The Apprentice. BBC. Archived from the original on 23 April 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  12. ↑ "Episode: 10 Selling on TV". The Apprentice. BBC. Archived from the original on 7 March 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  13. ↑ "Concepts for IBM South Bank site revealed on Apprentice final", London SE1 community website, 13 June 2007
  14. ↑ "Q&A: Does Sky deal mean end for Amstrad?". BBC News. 31 July 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  15. ↑ Sherwin, Adam (19 March 2008). "Sir Alan Sugar's ideas in the firing line". The Times . London. Retrieved 8 August 2008.
  16. ↑ "The Apprentice – Notes to Editors", BBC Press Office, 17 March 2009
  17. ↑ "Apprentice Winner Simon ambrose Leaves Alan Sugar's Firm". Northcliffe. 27 April 2010. Archived from the original on 1 January 2011. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
  18. ↑ "The Apprentice: Where are the past winners?".
Preceded by The Apprentice (UK) winner
Series Three (2007)		Succeeded by


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