Crowned winner of The Apprentice in 2012, Ricky Martin, Founder and Managing Director of Hyper Recruitment Solutions (HRS) became the first Apprentice winner to surpass the £1million pre-tax profit mark. A recruitment firm, focussed on mid-level and senior recruitment in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics industries (STEM), HRS aren’t just about their whopping profit levels and continuous expansion. They are on a mission to revolutionise recruitment for STEM industries.
Studying Biochemistry with Medical Biochemistry at Cardiff University, Ricky quickly came to the realisation that the lab coats and safety goggles weren’t the area of science that he was most suited to. So, he set up a Loughton-based recruitment consultancy, allowing him to blend two of his greatest passions: science and sales. He says that his contribution to the STEM industry is far more effective by sustaining it through recruitment. “If I can put the right scientist into the right job that works on the right thing, medicines can be made which really save lives. The influence that I can now have is more powerful,” he explains.
Ricky’s vision for HRS – securing talented professionals who can make a difference to STEM - turned from a dream into a reality following his win on The Apprentice and he has since been the first winner to surpass £1million in pre-tax profit threshold. The £250,000 investment from his legendary business partner, Lord Alan Sugar, enabled Ricky to kick-start his recruitment firm in the way that he wanted. “We [Lord Sugar and Ricky] have a four to six-week Board meeting where we look at where the company is growing, what we have done against our forecast and it is an opportunity to stress test my ideas with someone who has a lot of experience on the commercial side,” he explains. Ricky says that the pair still have a good business relationship which is exactly what he had hoped for.