The Apprentice 2018: Former Stubbington winner reveals firm hits £1m pre-tax profit

Now he has hit a new high after revealing his recruitment firm hit a pre-tax profit of more than £1m.

And projected turnover for Hyper Recruitment Solutions for July 2018-June 2019 is £14m.

Chief exectuive Ricky, who comes from Stubbington, said: '˜I couldn't be prouder of the whole team at HRS who have got us to where we are today. To have grown from a company of just one back in 2012 to a business with 50 staff across three major UK cities, that makes a difference to so many people, is remarkable.'

And he has won further praise from Lord Alan Sugar, who crowned Ricky the winner of his 2012 Apprentice show.

Lord Sugar commented: '˜Investing in Ricky was a no brainer, his understanding of the recruitment industry combined with his passion for business has resulted in the success Hyper Recruitment Solutions sees today.

'˜Being the first Apprentice winner to hit the £1m pre-tax profit mark is just the start, I know the future is bright for HRS going forward.'

Ricky's company focuses on mid-level and senior recruitment in science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) industries across the globe.

It turned over £8m in the 12 months to June, a 106 per cent growth in profit and 90 per cent increase in turnover.

It is based in Manchester, Edinburgh and Essex. The firm boasts 50 employees.

Ricky added: '˜Money has always been secondary to changing lives in my eyes, however to do so and become the first winner of The Apprentice to break the £1m profit milestone in a single company year, is a huge success and I couldn't be more thrilled.

'˜The reason Lord Sugar invested in to my business idea is because I was not just a recruiter.

'˜I was somebody who wanted to support talent in a specialist sector, which makes a real difference. It's this passion for doing the right thing that has seen HRS go from strength to strength; and is why our financials have followed suit.'