‘You’re hired’ says Citation to Nick Hewer

FORMER Apprentice star Nick Hewer has revealed how a costly mistake when he was running his own small business motivated him to become an ambassador for a Cheshire-based HR services company.

The 71-year-old former PR man who became synonymous as Lord Alan Sugar’s adviser on the hit show, has visited Manchester in his new role Citation, which specialises in health and safety, employment law and HR services for SMEs.

“When they approached me, I looked at the service they were offering and I remember when I ran a small business, something cropped up where this type of advice service would have been helpful,” he said.

“It would have helped to have had someone at the end of the phone who knew about HR and employment law.

“I ended up in court in a case which resulted in a financial cost because I hadn’t built a relationship with people with the right knowledge. I am very keen to help small businesses and I am happy to be an ambassador for Citation.”

Hewer, a former public relations consultant and current Countdown presenter, is enjoying his post-Apprentice life since leaving the hit show.

“Filming for the show was quite exhausting,” he said. “But it was an excellent concept as is proven by the number of people who have gone on to be successful in business, such as Saira Khan and Tim Campbell.”, he added.

Wilmslow-based Citation is backed by private equity firm ECI Partners.