Kiwi to appear on UK Apprentice

A Peru-born Aucklander now living in London is set to be the first New Zealander to appear on the popular British version of The Apprentice reality television show.

Paloma Vivanco-Coutts, 30, has been selected from more than 30,000 applicants to be one of 16 finalists battling it out for the £100,000 a year ($215,503) "apprentice" job with Lord Alan Sugar.

The former Telecom worker is the first New Zealander to ever make the cut on the high-rating UK Apprentice series, which attracts more than 13 million viewers each week.

Mrs Vivanco-Coutts left New Zealand in 2006 to travel and pursue a career in London. She now works there in telecommunications and is married to New Zealander Colin Coutts, heads of IT and Operations for Fisher & Paykel UK and Ireland.

"I applied for The Apprentice, just to see how far I would get. The interview process was long and tough, but I think my Kiwi pragmatism and no-nonsense approach to business helped earn me a place on the show," she said.

"I've toughened up a lot since working in the highly cut-throat UK market, and I'm hoping the resilience I've gained will carry me through the next few months."

Born in Peru, Mrs Vivanco-Coutts moved with her family to the United States, Australia and eventually New Zealand where she attended high school and the University of Auckland.

She is the daughter of William Vivanco, a renowned geneticist and global authority in animal reproduction and genetic improvement -- best known for heading the science and technology unit in New Zealand that produced the first cloned calf in the world called 'Lady', and subsequently 'Elsie' the cow in 1998.

The sixth series of The Apprentice airs in the UK on BBC One from October 6.

- NZPA