Rob Heyvaert, founder and chief executive of Capco, the specialist financial markets consultancy, is apparently one of the best-known business figures in Belgium. A Financial News straw poll of five Belgians at Antwerp airport, close to Capco's headquarters, revealed none had heard of Heyvaert. However, TV bosses deemed him high-profile enough to front De Topmanager, the Belgian version of The Apprentice , the hit reality show in which a group of ambitious young people compete for the favour of a business big-shot and a job with a six-figure salary.

He follows in the footsteps of Donald Trump, the property mogul who led the US original, and Sir Alan Sugar, the entrepreneur who starred in the UK series. The profile of both was fading before The Apprentice, which catapulted them back to celebrity status.