a 9.84% stake in the £2.77bn operation worth nearly £272m,
down £88m since the referendum vote. 2016: £370m, 301=382= £ 300 m No change ■
SIR PAUL RUDDOCK
Hedge fundLondon hedge fund Lansdowne Partners was co-founded in 1998
by Ruddock, 58. In 2006 Morgan Stanley took a 19% stake that
valued the operation at £1.1bn. Ruddock, who was knighted for
services to arts and philanthropy, has retired but remains a
partner. Its profits in 2015-16 hit £366.4m. 2016: £300m, 350=382= £ 300 m £ 30 m ▲
NIGEL SPOKES AND FAMILY
Car hireWhen Clive Spokes and Maureen Bull launched their car hire
business in 1971 they had a second-hand fleet of three Ford
Cortinas, a Ford Escort and five vans. Now their Exeter-based
Scot Group Southern, chaired by son Nigel, 56, runs the Thrifty
franchises, which have 12,500 cars and 4,500 vans and
minibuses. In 2015-16 profits were £34.4m. 2016: £270m, 389=398 £ 298 m £ 8 m ▲
IRIS GIBBOR AND FAMILY
Industry and hotels 2016: £290m, 364=399 £ 296 m £ 90 m▼
PHILIP MEESON
AviationThe Leeds-based Dart group, owner of budget airline Jet2.com,
saw its shares plummet after the Brexit vote. Company founder
Meeson, 69, a former RAF pilot who became a five-time British
aerobatics champion, remains chairman and chief executive with
a 38% stake in the operation worth £275m. 2016: £386m, 290400 £ 295 m £ 20 m ▲
TONY WILKINSON AND FAMILY
RetailingNottinghamshire-based budget household goods chain Wilko
Retail saw profits rise in 2015-16 to nearly £26m on £1.46bn
turnover. The firm, founded in 1930, was chaired by Wilkinson, 80,
until 2005 when his lawyer daughter Lisa, 49 , succeeded him.
The family has combined assets of £245m. 2016: £275m, 384=401 £ 293 m £ 61 m ▲
ALAN GIBBS
Industry 2016: £232m, 451402= £ 290 m £ 10 m ▲
SIR ELTON JOHN
MusicHe recently turned 70 but he’s “still standing”. In fact John is doing
a lot more than that, playing 92 shows last year that took $58.5m.
His most recent studio album, Wonderful Crazy Night , reached
No 6 in the UK charts and he also has a medley of other interests,
among them Rocket Music, which looks after stars such as Ed
Sheeran, and The Lion King stage shows in collaboration with Sir
Tim Rice (qv). John once again makes the top 10 of our Giving
List with charitable donations of more than £34m in the past
year, amounting to about 12% of his overall wealth, mainly to his
Aids foundations in the UK and America. An exhibition of the
Pinner-born star’s private collection of classic photographs is set
to run until May 21 at Tate Modern. 2016: £280m, 377=402= £ 290 m £ 15 m ▲
KARTAR AND TEJ LALVANI
Health supplementsLalvani’s wealth comes from the Vitabiotics vitamin supplements
operation that he founded in 1971. The London-based companyhe runs with his son Tej, 42, won Queen’s awards for enterprise in
2003 and 2008. Profits came in at £24m on £101.1m sales in 2015
and it is easily worth £240m. Lalvani, 85, wrote The Making of
India, a history of British enterprise. 2016: £275m, 384=404 £ 288 m No change ■
NICOLAI TANGEN
Hedge fundLondon hedge fund AKO Capital was started in 2005 by Tangen,
50, a former Norwegian army intelligence officer. Its profits fell to
£106.3m in 2015-16 but since 2007 it has earned profits of
£761.2m, all available for distribution to its members. A keen
yachtsman, Tangen has set up a charitable foundation to support
teaching in west Africa, England and Wales. 2016: £288m, 368405 £ 287 m £ 6 m▼
MARK CREASY
Mining 2016: £293m, 363406 £ 286 m £ 6 m ▲
THEO PAPHITIS
Stationery and lingerieThe former Dragons’ Den star lambasted Labour leader Jeremy
Corbyn’s proposal to cap pay packets , describing him as a
“dummy, dummy, dummy” and wondering how the Treasury
would replace the lost tax from high-earners’ salaries. Cyprus-
born Paphitis, 57, who started work at 16 as a teaboy-cum-filing
clerk at a Lloyd’s insurer, specialises in turning companies around.
His main operations are hardware chain Robert Dyas, lingerie
seller Boux Avenue and stationer Ryman, where profits grew and
assets rose more than £6m to £50.8m. 2016: £280m, 377=407= £ 285 m £ 3 m ▲
BART BECHT
Cleaning productsKensington-based Becht chairs German investment firm JAB
and until 2011 headed Slough-headquartered Reckitt Benckiser,
the giant behind Dettol, Nurofen, Durex and other brands. His
family trust’s stake is worth £203m. The Dutchman has a £60m
holding in US cosmetics group Coty. Becht, 60, and his wife, Ann,
are vice-presidents of Save the Children. 2016: £282m, 373=407= £ 285 m £ 4 m ▲
BRIAN KENNEDY
Kitchens and windowsKennedy, 57, sold rugby club Sale Sharks last year in a £2.5m
deal. The son of an Edinburgh window cleaner, in 2014 he floated
green energy firm Entu , and Epwin, a plastics operation, retaining
stakes worth £35m. He became rich through kitchens, then
bought Everest home improvements. 2016: £281m, 375=407= £ 285 m £ 5 m ▲
ALAN LEWIS
InvestmentManchester-born Lewis, 79, made his fortune in property and
finance. In 1982 he won a takeover battle for the Illingworth Morris
textile company that belonged to the wife of actor James Mason
and owned West Yorkshire-based J&J Crombie, the overcoat
maker. Lewis has diversified into forestry in Russia and natural
resources. His two main businesses showed £52.8m net assets in
2015-16 and he has property worth £100m. 2016: £280m, 377=407= £ 285 m £ 15 m ▲
TONY PIDGLEY
ConstructionSurrey-born Pidgley, 69, was adopted from Barnardo’s by
travellers at the age of four. He founded housebuilder Berkeley
Group and last year joined Lord Heseltine’s (qv) task force to
regenerate sink estates. In 2015-16 his operation showed profits
of £530.9m and is valued at £4bn. 2016: £270m, 389=Rich List 2017 251-500
FAMILIAR BRANDS:
BART BECHT
Entry 407=, £285m“I pay
in cash,
carrying
several
hundred
pounds on
me — I like
to feel the
notes in my
pocket”
THEO PAPHITISTONY WILKINSON
AND FAMILY
GETTY; ALAMY Entry 400, £295m
The Sunday Times Magazine • The Sunday Times Magazine • 9999