29 year old British Hindu entrepreneur from Ashford, Karishma Vijay has won the BBC’s Apprentice 2026. During the final episode aired on 16th April, Alan Sugar announced his £250,000 investment for Karishma’s skincare business; Kishkin.skin @kishkin.skin, which she developed after discovering a solution for her acne. Part of Karishma’s motivation to enter the show was to save her brand after losing £25,000 when a shipment of products sank during a typhoon off the Hong Kong coast. Now in its 20th year, the Apprentice is often associated with overconfident, arrogant and obnoxious contestants. Karishma has won praise from many viewers as being very likeable. Alan Sugar remarked on her humour, describing Karishma as “a stand-up comedian” and noted her as “a proper grafter”.
Karishma credits her success to her father, who raised both of his daughters as a single parent. Both of Karishma’s parents were the last of several generations of her family born in Afghanistan. Her win is a particularly proud moment for devotees of Southall’s Asamai Mandir @asamai_london, the UK’s first and only Mandir established by Afghan Hindus.