Ricky Martin is an Honours Degree qualified biochemist who is a member of the Royal Society of Chemistry and has over ten years’ experience in scientific recruitment.
He is a recognised recruitment expert with qualifications in professional practice as governed by The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), where he also sits as Chair of their Life Sciences Committee.
Ricky started his career as a passionate scientist placing a range of technical experts into scientific companies across the UK. Now he helps provide science and technology companies with talent, as well as supporting associated professionals with their careers worldwide across both technical and commercial disciplines.
Ricky was crowned winner of The Apprentice in June 2012 and has since successfully set up and expanded his own specialist recruitment consultancy using the investment from Lord Sugar. Hyper Recruitment Solutions (HRS) is focused on mid-level to senior appointments for the science and technology industry worldwide.
With his credentials as a scientist added to his qualifications in professional recruitment practice, Ricky and his business have quickly become known for their excellence in service delivery, compliance and caring for what they do.
Outside of providing recruitment solutions, Ricky is a regular speaker in schools, universities and conferences about employability and jobs in science; all with a key focus on helping others develop their careers. One of Ricky’s key values in life, and business, is how can he make a difference. This is something he brings in to HRS every day and alongside his enthusiasm for science, ensures all of his staff do too.
Ricky is also the host of the Recruiter Ricky - How To Get Hired podcast.
A former Chairman of Tottenham Hotspur FC, he sold his Amstrad empire to Sky in July 2007.
Having left school in Hackney aged 16, Alan Sugar started selling car aerials and electric goods out of a van he bought for £50. In 1968, he founded Amstrad and now, nearly 45 years later, he has an estimated worth of £1.21 billion and was ranked 123rd in the 2019 Sunday Times Rich List.
A former Chairman of Tottenham Hotspur FC, he sold his Amstrad empire to Sky in July 2007. His other companies include Amscreen, the UK’s largest digital media owner, property investment firm Amsprop and Viglen, a manufacturer specialising in computers, networks and solutions.
In 2000, he was knighted for his services to business and he holds two honorary Doctorates of Science degrees, awarded by City University and Brunel University respectively.
Having previously sat on the Business Council for Britain and fronted a campaign promoting the benefits of apprenticeships, he was named as the government’s Enterprise Champion in 2009 and appointed to the House of Lords as Baron Sugar of Clapton in the London Borough of Hackney.
Lord Sugar has also appeared in all series of BBC’s The Apprentice, where aspiring young businessmen and women compete for the chance to work with him. It was during this time that he invested in the scientific recruitment entrepreneur Ricky Martin, with whom he founded Hyper Recruitment Solutions. Lord Sugar is a philanthropist for a number of charities including Great Ormond Street Hospital and Jewish Care.
