Single Minded

<p><b>The story of a high-stakes career</b><br><br>Claude Littner is best known as the mercilessly tough interviewer on the BBC''s award-winning <i>The Apprentice</i>. His abrupt style and zero-tolerance policy on nonsense have become the highlights of every series. But what is he like in real business?<br><br>SINGLE-MINDED reveals the story of Claude''s varied career and the turbulent years that shaped him. From being told at school he would never amount to anything to his current status as a boardroom heavyweight both on-screen and off it, success has never come easy. Claude''s complex, fascinating work has taken him into many different industries and countries, encompassin<br><br>- retail start-ups<br>- knife-edge company rescue missions<br>- the bruising rough-and-tumble of Premier League football<br>- facing down French trade unions<br>- taking on Texan oil barons in multi-million-dollar deals<br>- and, in the private sphere, conquering life-threatening illness<br><br>As Lord Sugar writes in the foreword to Claude''s story, the book ''should be <b>recommended reading for anyone who aspires to make their way in business</b> . . . It is instructive and entertaining, providing an interesting insight into the ups and downs of business life and how single-mindedness, openness and determination can yield dividends both financial and personal.''</p>