Iceland’s only billionaire paid £185.2
million last year for a 15 per cent stake in
DNEG, the special effects outfit behind
the latest James Bond film, No Time to Die.
The 55-year-old’s own adventures give
Bond a run for his money. Bjorgolfsson
made his first $100 million in 2002, selling
his Russian Bravo brewing and alcopop
business. He invested in Landsbanki and
its collapse at the epicentre of the 2008
meltdown left him a global pariah owing
£350 million. He swiftly cancelled an order
for a £100 million yacht and grovelled with
a public apology, saying: “I request your
forgiveness for my complacency towards
the danger signs which arose.” He thennegotiated time to pay off his debts while
holding on to Novator, his investment
operation. Some creditors still come
knocking but “Bjoggi” has regrouped,
funding start-ups such as Stripe (financial
payments), Deliveroo (takeaways) and
Zwift (virtual reality cycling).
His Chilean telecoms firm WOM has
been expanding in Colombia while
Better.com, a US mortgage broker, got
close to a New York float this year. The
London-based father of three owns
property in Notting Hill worth at least
£40 million and was spotted watching
England’s Euro 2020 semi-final victory with
David Beckham (qv). 2021: £1.6bn, 10097 THOR BJORGOLFSSON
£1.852bn £252m ▲
Finance and investment87 HENRI BEAUFOUR
£2.062bn £570m ▲
Pharmaceuticals: Ipsen 2021: £1.492bn, 112
88 JOHNNY BOUFARHAT
£2.06bn £614m ▲
Internet: Hopin 2021: £1.446bn, 113
The Young Rich, page 48^89= £2bn No change ■
SHEIKH HAMAD BIN JASSIM AL THANI
Investment and property 2021: £2bn, 82=
89= ALEX GERKO
£2bn £1.125bn ▲
Finance
Moscow-born Gerko, 42, wrote a withering tweet or two in the days
after Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. “Nuremberg is waiting for you,”
he said of Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister. His XTX Markets,
an algorithmic trader he set up in 2015, made profits of nearly
£203 million in 2020. This £2 billion trading group is at least 75 per
cent owned by Gerko. 2021: £875m, 187
89= STRIVE MASIYIWA
£2bn £913m ▲
Telecoms 2021: £1.087bn, 159
The history makers — interview, page 1089= NICHOLAS RODITI AND FAMILY
£2bn £701m ▼
Investment 2021: £2.701bn, 6289= GEORG AND EMILY VON OPEL
£2bn £346m ▲
Finance and property 2021: £1.654bn, 9994 WAFIC SAID
£1.985bn No change ■
Finance and property 2021: £1.985bn, 8995 SIMON NIXON
£1.925bn £125m ▲
Internet and property 2021: £1.8bn, 9196 VISCOUNT PORTMAN AND FAMILY
£1.9bn £100m ▼
Property 2021: £2bn, 82=98 SIR DENNIS AND LADY GILLINGS
£1.831bn £274m ▲
Pharmaceuticals: IQVIA 2021: £1.557bn, 10499 JASMINDER SINGH AND FAMILY
£1.824bn £644m ▲
Hotels: Edwardian 2021: £1.18bn, 147100 SIR IAN WOOD AND FAMILY
£1.819bn No change ■
Oil services and fishing 2021: £1.819bn, 90101 SIR STELIOS HAJI-IOANNOU AND FAMILY
£1.809bn £366m ▼
Aviation: easyJetThe founder of easyJet has halved his stake in the budget airline
from one third to 15.2 per cent. But the Haji-Ioannous remain the
biggest shareholder in the Luton-based business with a stake worth
£643 million — £492 million less than a year ago. Stelios, 55, lives in
Monaco. He has more than 1,000 registered trademarks around the
world and is a zealous litigant if he spots infringement of the easy
brand. A signatory of the Giving Pledge — to gift half of his wealth
— he funded nurses during the pandemic. 2021: £2.175bn, 77102 PAUL COULSON AND FAMILY
£1.79bn £25m ▲
Packaging: Ardagh 2021: £1.765bn, 94103 SIR WILL ADDERLEY AND FAMILY
£1.78bn £9m ▼
Home furnishings: Dunelm 2021: £1.789bn, 92104 CHRIS ROKOS
£1.75bn £500m ▲
Hedge fund 2021: £1.25bn, 133=105= SIR MICHAEL HINTZE
£1.7bn £200m ▲
Hedge fund 2021: £1.5bn, 107=105= FARHAD MOSHIRI
£1.7bn £300m ▼
Investment and football: Everton 2021: £2bn, 82=107 MOHAMED AL FAYED AND FAMILY
£1.699bn £1m ▼
Retailing: Harrods 2021: £1.7bn, 96=The irrepressible Thor
“Bjoggi” Bjorgolfsson,
below, called his 2014
autobiography Billions
to Bust and BackVIRTUAL SIGNALLING
Entry 88, £2.06bn28 • thesundaytimes.co.uk/richlist