Single-Minded: My Life in Business

Product Description The story of a high-stakes career Claude Littner is best known as the mercilessly tough interviewer on the BBC's award-winning The Apprentice. His abrupt style and zero-tolerance policy on nonsense have become the highlights of every series. But what is he like in real business? Single-Minded reveals the story of Claude's varied career and the turbulent years that shaped him. From being told at school that 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, encompassing retail start-ups; knife-edge company rescue missions; the bruising rough-and-tumble of Premier League football; facing down French trade unions; taking on Texan oil barons in multi-million-dollar deals; and, in the private sphere, conquering life-threatening illness. Told with characteristic candour and disarming modesty, Single-Minded is an unflinching account of a remarkable career in the spotlight. Review Claude Littner's Single-Minded is one of the best [autobiographies] I've read in a long time It is intriguing to discover the man behind the inscrutable expression on the cover of his autobiography . . . Littner proves engaging, straight-talking and motivational company.-- Emma Newlands, Scotsman Book Description Claude Littner - best-known as Lord Sugar's terrifying aide on the BBC's The Apprentice - shares his journey from the back of the classroom to the television boardroom. From the Inside Flap Claude Littner is best known as the mercilessly tough interviewer on the BBC's award-winning The Apprentice. His abrupt style and zero-tolerance policy on nonsense have become the highlights of every series. 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, the path in between has had many unexpected twists and turns. Readers will be intrigued by how many different industries and countries Claude's successful work has taken him into, encompassing retail start-ups; knife-edge company rescue missions; the bruising rough-and-tumble of Premier League football; facing down French trade unions; taking on Texan oil barons in multi-million-dollar deals; and, in the private sphere, conquering life-threatening illness. As Lord Sugar writes in the foreword to Claude's story, the book 'should be recommended reading for anyone who aspires to make their way in business . . . 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.' Told with characteristic candour and disarming modesty, Single-Minded is an unflinching account of a remarkable career in the spotlight. From the Back Cover The story of a high-stakes career I am obsessed with business. Any kind of business. I just love the challenge - overcoming obstacles and finding solutions, the cut and thrust, the negotiating, the thrill of making a difference - and above all, winning... About the Author CLAUDE LITTNER is a British business executive. He started his career as an accountant at Unilever in the early 1970s, and has since become a hugely successful turnaround specialist and the chief executive or chairman of a number of high-profile companies, including Tottenham Hotspur, where he was chief executive from 1993 to 1998. He is also a fixture on the BBC's hugely popular The Apprentice TV show, having appeared in every series since it first aired in 2005. In 2014, the University of West London's business school was named after Claude in appreciation of his exemplary professional track record and contributions to the