Are Mark Francis, Cecilia Robinson and Nick Mowbray the new faces of The Apprentice? Photos / Supplied
Are Mark Francis, Cecilia Robinson and Nick Mowbray the new faces of The Apprentice? Photos / Supplied
You're hired!
Who will be NZ's newest Donald Trump on The Apprentice? TVNZ announced it is rebooting the show after 10 years - leaving the tantalising prospect of who will sit in the boss' chair.
It's understood the format is likely to be close to the UK version, which saw British business magnate Lord Alan Sugar with two close business associates at the boardroom table. That means avoiding the glitzy Trump-led US style of the show.
Are Mark Francis, Cecilia Robinson and Nick Mowbray the new faces of The Apprentice? Photos / Supplied
Ten years ago many prominent local business leaders would have found the idea of hosting a reality show gauche. But the landscape has changed with more business leaders and rich listers happy to have their profiles front and centre, especially in the age of "Influencer" marketing and social media.
A female heavyweight is likely, it's understood, which makes entrepreneur Cecilia Robinson a possible first choice.
She and husband James joined forces with former reality star MasterChef winner Nadia Lim to create the multi-million dollar success meal-kit delivery service My Food Bag.
Robinson is often the face of the couple's business ventures and was named the Supreme Winner of The Women of Influence Awards in 2017.
She is also a popular choice on the keynote speakers' circuit. Last week, the Robinsons announced their latest offering, digital healthcare and medical service app Tend, coined from the word "attention".
Data and technology powerhouse Carmen Vicelich is another strong possibility. She has built two multi-million dollar international businesses. She started Data Insight, an analytics business that uses a company's data to provide personalised insights into consumer habits and wider industries, and Valocity, which tailors the same approach for the property and valuation market.
Data Insight founder and CEO Carmen Vicelich. Photo / Jason Oxenham.
Another possibility would be a shared sibling duo with brother and sister billionaires Anna and Nick Mowbray of Zuru toys.
The pair are not afraid of the limelight, can be outspoken and combine business acumen with a talent for helping others - during the early days of Covid-19 they using their networks in China to source medical equipment together with a group of other business leaders including Rob Fyfe, Sir Stephen Tindall and Sam Morgan.
Zuru has enjoyed massive growth over the past five years. The business dynamos are also good friends with Robinson and Vicelich. As well as toys, Nick has branched into FMCG products in recent times, through Zuru Edge.
They also boast star pulling power. Their Dose & Co collagen range recently signed ambassador Khloe Kardashian and the Monday haircare range is fronted by Kiwi supermodel Georgia Fowler.
And, if producers wanted something as marketable as Trump's private Jet and Trump Tower, the Mowbrays have it in the Toy mansion in Coatesville, where the staff have plenty of team-building activities.
Former Air NZ CEO Rob Fyfe has come and gone in the public eye over the years. The influential businessman would be a coup for producers, with the CEO being a household name. He's been back in the public eye helping with the Government's business response to the coronavirus pandemic and is very marketable.
Businessman Rob Fyfe. Photo / Doug Sherring.
He is currently a director of Air Canada, Michael Hill International and Hammerforce, and a strategic advisor to Craggy Range Wines amongst others.
He also has links to reality TV - wife Sara Tetro is a model agent who starred as head judge on NZ's Next Top Model. The pair split their time between palatial homes in Auckland and Queenstown.
An outside bet might be Mark Francis who is camera-ready and has a property portfolio that has echoes of Trump. Son of multimillionaire Auckland investor and former Force Corp chief Peter Francis, Mark has followed in his father's footsteps.
He is the managing director of Augusta which manages more than $1.8 billion of properties throughout NZ and Australia.
Francis is a regular on the Auckland social scene and has the charm, stylish wardrobe and flash boardroom table to carry the new show.
One person who is certain not to be the boss is Wellington-based property developer Terry Serepisos who was The Don for the first and only Kiwi season of The Apprentice. He has since had a fall from grace and well documented financial troubles.
Meanwhile, TVNZ has called for CVs from candidates who want the chance to take up a brand-new career under the guidance of a new business heavyweight.
The broadcaster is yet to release details of the prize package - but the winner 10 years ago walked away with a $200,000 package including a BMW and accommodation.
That was Thomas Ben who worked with Serepisos for about 18 months. After a few career changes, he and wife Antoinette are now owner/operators of a New World supermarket.
