Dan Miller: Richmond Entrepreneur in The Apprentice 2026

Key Points

• Dan Miller, a Richmond-based entrepreneur from south west London, will compete in the 20th series of BBC One’s The Apprentice, set to premiere on 29 January 2026.
• Miller founded his student recruitment business, Young Professionals, from his bedroom in Derby at age 17 and has run it solo for nearly 10 years.
• His company works with major firms including PricewaterhouseCoopers and Goldman Sachs, connecting thousands of students to apprenticeships, graduate programmes, and work experiences via workshops, events, and an app.
• Miller seeks Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment and 50/50 partnership to scale the business, built on “community, giving back and opportunity”.
• He describes himself as someone who “always sees the best in people”.
• On LinkedIn, Dan Miller posted: “The CEO becomes The Apprentice. Recently I had the opportunity of a lifetime to take part in one of the UKs biggest business shows. I learnt so much, challenged myself and stepped out of my comfort zone which is something I always encourage our students in the YP network to do. I’d like to thank my entire team for running the business whilst I was away and to all of our amazing clients, students and educational institutions who have supported us all the way. I can’t wait to share the journey with you all.”​
• The series features 20 candidates overseen by Lord Sugar, Baroness Karren Brady, and Tim Campbell (2005 winner), with tasks like creating children’s books, live TV sales, and a Red Sea corporate event.
• Young Professionals partners with 2,500 UK schools and colleges, using technology for fast candidate-employer matching.​
• Miller serves as Policy Chairman for Apprenticeships & Young Entrepreneurs at the Federation of Small Businesses since January 2021.​

Richmond, (West London News) 21 January, 2026 – Dan Miller, the Richmond-based owner of student recruitment firm Young Professionals, is confirmed to compete in the forthcoming 20th series of BBC One’s The Apprentice, where ambitious entrepreneurs vie for Lord Alan Sugar’s £250,000 investment and business partnership.

The series, airing from 29 January 2026 at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer, pits 20 candidates against rigorous tasks under the scrutiny of Lord Sugar, 78, alongside aides Baroness Karren Brady and Tim Campbell, winner of the inaugural 2005 series. Miller, who launched his venture from a Derby bedroom at 17, has collaborated with global giants such as PricewaterhouseCoopers and Goldman Sachs after nearly a decade of independent operation. He aims to leverage Lord Sugar’s expertise to propel Young Professionals to new heights, emphasising its foundation in community support and opportunity creation.

Who is Dan Miller?

Dan Miller hails from Derby originally but now operates from Richmond in south west London, running Young Professionals, a firm dedicated to linking school and college leavers with apprenticeships, graduate roles, and work experiences. As reported in The Independent, Miller “started his business from his Derby bedroom at 17, now working with major companies like PricewaterhouseCoopers and Goldman Sachs”. The company engages 2,500 schools and colleges across the UK through hands-on workshops and employer events, featuring a dedicated app that enables students to find jobs in three touches.

On LinkedIn, Miller’s profile highlights his role as Founder and CEO since August 2015, spanning over nine years, and his position as Policy Chairman for Apprenticeships & Young Entrepreneurs at the Federation of Small Businesses since January 2021. He portrays Young Professionals as “at the forefront of school and college leaver attraction and recruitment using technology to match candidates to employers in a simple and fast way”. Miller has shared that his “whole brand and business have been built around community, giving back and opportunity”, and he “always sees the best in people”.​

What did Dan Miller say on LinkedIn?

In a LinkedIn post captioned “The CEO becomes The Apprentice”, Dan Miller announced his participation, stating: “Recently I had the opportunity of a lifetime to take part in one of the UKs biggest business shows. I learnt so much, challenged myself and stepped out of my comfort zone which is something I always encourage our students in the YP network to do. I’d like to thank my entire team for running the business whilst I was away and to all of our amazing clients, students and educational institutions who have supported us all the way. I can’t wait to share the journey with you all.” This reflection underscores his commitment to personal growth, mirroring the advice he imparts to students via the YP network.​

What is The Apprentice series 20 about?

The 20th series of The Apprentice launches later this month, featuring 20 candidates competing in 12 episodes for Lord Sugar’s £250,000 investment and 50/50 partnership. Tasks this season include crafting a children’s book, live television product sales, and managing a corporate away day on the Red Sea in El Gouna, Egypt. Lord Sugar, supported by Baroness Karren Brady and Tim Campbell—who triumphed in the 2005 debut series—will evaluate the contestants’ prowess in diverse challenges spanning London and international locales.

As detailed by Radio Times, the lineup commences with a purchasing task, testing branding, sales, and negotiation skills across varied environments. The programme remains a staple of UK television, spotlighting entrepreneurial talent amid high-stakes boardroom showdowns.​

Which other candidates are competing alongside Dan Miller?

The diverse 2026 cohort spans professions from lettings agencies to beauty brands. Radio Times lists: Andrea Cooper (Barnsley lettings owner seeking short-term rental software); Carrington Saunders (south east London loungewear entrepreneur); Conor Galvin (Cork photobooth owner); Georgina Newton (east London actress planning mobile pantomime theatre); Harry Clough (Battersea subscription box service); Karishma Vijay (Ashford beauty brand owner); Kieran McCartney (east London estate agent); Lawrence Rosenberg (Watford PR specialist); Levi Hague (Doncaster pet urn maker); Marcus Donkoh (south London barber); Megan Ruiter (Wirral womenswear designer); Nikki Jetha (Essex mortgage broker); Pascha Myhill (Reading healthcare recruiter); Priyesh Bathia (Harrow cocktail bar owner); Rajan Gill (Medway media wall installer); Rothna Akhtar (east London cake business); Roxanne Hamedi (Aberdeen pharmacist beauty brand); Tanmay Hingorani (Islington AI marketer); and Vanessa Tetteh-Squire (Enfield swimwear brand).​

The Independent provides further insights, such as Andrea Cooper’s midwifery degree at 40 and her warning: “if I am crossed once then that’s it, no more chances. I am not a pushover.” Conor Galvin notes his fun business conceals “the tougher side of strategy, structure and scaling”. Georgina Newton touts her ability to turn negatives positive, having faced thousands of rejections.​

Why does Dan Miller want Lord Sugar’s investment?

Dan Miller explicitly seeks Lord Sugar’s assistance to “take his company to the next level after running it on his own for almost 10 years”. His firm’s collaborations with “some of the world’s biggest companies” like PricewaterhouseCoopers and Goldman Sachs demonstrate proven traction, yet Miller eyes expansion through the tycoon’s mentorship. Radio Times confirms he “runs a successful student recruitment agency and aims to elevate his business further”, aligning with the show’s ethos of scaling ventures.

What challenges will contestants face in The Apprentice 2026?

Contestants will tackle multifaceted tasks, as outlined by The Independent: creating children’s books demands creativity; live TV sales test pitching under pressure; and the Egypt corporate event evaluates logistics in exotic settings. Radio Times specifies the opener as a purchasing challenge, with subsequent trials across London and abroad probing branding and negotiation. These scenarios, scrutinised by Baroness Brady and Tim Campbell, mirror real-world business rigours.

How has Young Professionals grown under Dan Miller?

From humble bedroom origins in Derby at 17, Young Professionals has burgeoned into a network serving thousands of students nationwide. It delivers employer engagement via practical workshops to 2,500 institutions and boasts a pioneering app for rapid job matching. Miller’s LinkedIn underscores its role in connecting leavers to top brands’ programmes. An undated BBC handout photo by Ray Burminston depicts Miller as one of the new candidates.