Multiple UK billionaires and millionaires have their origins in Birmingham and the West Midlands. Some are continuing a legacy while others are new entrepreneurs - who made it big. Here a look at the wealthiest 1% of the West Midlands in 2023, according to the new Sunday Times Rich List.
This year’s listing shows that from gambling to retail to IT to property development - the richest people from our region come from varied backgrounds. The highest ranking of any local billionaire on the national listing is at number 16 - so none of the richest in Birmingham and the West Midlands made it into the UK top 10.
The people topping the Sunday Times Rich List 2023 for the whole of the UK are Gopi Hinduja and family who have a net worth of £35bn. Indian-born Gopi is at the head of the family conglomerate with businesses spanning manufacturing, finance, energy and IT. They topped the list in 2022 as well and are based in London.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is the second richest in the UK with a net worth of £29.688 bn. Raised on a council-estate in Manchester, this self-made billionaire owns is the chairman and chief executive officer of the INEOS chemicals group. He owns several properties including a sprawling estate in Hampshire’s New Forest National Park and in Monaco.
Here are the 11 richest people in Birmingham and the West Midlands, according to the Sunday Times:
9. Roy Richardson and family (Overall rank 174)
Roy Richardson is the Life President of the Richardsons organisation. His wealth stood at £945m in 2022. It increased to £965m in 2023. In March 2023, a West Midlands Metro blue tram was named after Roy and Don Richardson. Their business activity, which famously included the Merry Hill Shopping Centre and Star City in Birmingham, has created tens of thousands of jobs in the region over many years.(Photo - Richardsons) | Richardsons
10. Ben Francis and family (Overall rank 184)
Ben Francis is an young entrepreneur who founded Gymshark - the sportswear brand. He is worth £900m and saw an increase of £200 in 2022. His worth stayed the same in 2023. (Pic:Gymshark) | Gymshark
11. Sir Peter, James and Steve Rigby (Overall rank 193)
The Rigby family own the Rigby group and their businesses include computers, aviation and hospitality. Their wealth was £804m in 2022 and in 2023, it increased to £866m. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images/Sir Peter pictured with former PM Gordon Brown) | Getty Images