42 £ 2.766 bn £ 286 m ▲
ALAN PARKER
Duty-free shoppingThe Parker family’s Oak Foundation charity increased its
spending to £175m last year, with a new focus on the illegal
wildlife trade, Brazil and climate justice. It has helped more
than 300 organisations in at least 39 countries. British-born
accountant Parker made his fortune at Hong Kong-based Duty
Free Shoppers, co-founded by Robert Miller (qv), netting about
$840m for his 20% stake in its 1997 takeover by luxury goods
giant LVMH. Parker, 78, who lives in Geneva, received an
honorary doctorate from Maine’s Colby College in America in
recognition of his generosity. 2016: £2.48bn, 42=43 £ 2.736 bn £ 606 m ▲
SAMUEL TAK LEE AND FAMILY
PropertyLee, 78, pledged more than £80m in 2015 to Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT), one of the largest donations in the
university’s history. He divides his time between London and
Hong Kong and snapped up the 16-acre Langham estate from the
receiver for £51m in 1993. The estate, located between Soho and
Mayfair, was valued at £175m in 1989. Even after the MIT donation
and a recent $154m divorce settlement by his son Samathur Li
Kin-kan, Lee is worth £2.736bn. 2016: £2.13bn, 5244 £ 2.629 bn £ 679 m ▲
SIR MICHAEL MORITZ AND HARRIET HEYMAN
Internet See panel, page 3245 £ 2.547bn £ 77 m ▲
TEDDY SAGI
Software and propertySagi, 45, has a penchant for British assets. In 2014 he bought
Camden Market in n orth London for nearly £500m. The Israeli
entrepreneur floated it and retains a £646m stake in the
business, now called Market Tech. His fortune is derived from the
gaming software business Playtech, which he started in 1999 and
floated in 2006. He has also floated online payments processor
Safecharge and big-data company Crossrider. He has a range of
property in Tel Aviv, London and Berlin. 2016: £2.47bn, 4446 £ 2.5bn £ 250 m ▲
RICHARD DESMOND
Media and propertyAfter making his fortune with magazines and other media,
Desmond, 65, is a serious player in the London property world.
The £1bn development with the Livingstone brothers (qv) of his
old Westferry printworks site in the Docklands will include 722
homes, a school, bars, shops and restaurants. Among his
portfolio is Number 10 Lower Thames Street, the £160m home
of his newspaper empire. The Express titles, bought in 2000 for
£125m, are now worth £300m. Hampstead-born Desmond, who
paid himself £158m from 2002 to 2007, also banked £463m
from selling Channel 5 in 2014. His Northern & Shell Ventures
and Health Lottery add another £200m. 2016: £2.25bn, 4847 £ 2.48bn No change ■
BERNIE ECCLESTONE AND FAMILY
Motor racing See In numbers, right48= £ 2.4bn £ 330 m▼
IDAN OFER
Shipping and industryTel Aviv-born Ofer, 61, owns a fleet of 150 merchant ships through
Quantum Pacific Group, while his family trusts control Israel
Corporation, a £920m conglomerate. Ofer, who inherited his
father’s magnificent art collection, is also the leading shareholder
in Pacific Drilling. Its value plunged £78m to £47.4m after the fall
in oil prices. In 2013 London-based Ofer gave £25m to the
London Business School, his alma mater. 2016: £2.73bn, 4048= £ 2.4bn £ 300 m ▲
MICHAEL PLATT
Hedge fundThe London-based hedge fund BlueCrest Capital Management
now handles only the wealth of its partners and members after
Geneva resident Platt called time last year on managing money
from outside clients. The move has clearly worked: the fund
reported a 50% gain during 2016. The company, which was
valued at £1.51bn in 2011, was founded by Preston-born Platt, 49,
and his business partner William Reeves, who retired from the
operation and moved to Hawaii. 2016: £2.1bn, 5350 £ 2.37bn £ 210 m ▲
THE GRANT GORDON FAMILY
SpiritsWilliam Grant, the Banffshire whisky distiller, posted record
profits in 2015 amid booming overseas demand for premium
spirits and expected continued growth in 2016. The family-owned
firm made £177.2m profit, up 6.7% from £166.1m in the preceding
year, helped by surging sales of the flagship Glenfiddich single
malt and Hendrick’s gin. The company was founded by William
Grant in 1887 and is now controlled by the fifth generation of his
family. With £1.8bn net assets, the business is worth £2.2bn.
Dividends and other interests add £170m. 2016: £2.16bn, 4951 £ 2.315 bn £ 165 m ▲
PETER HARGREAVES
FinanceHargreaves, 70, gave £3.2m to the Leave campaign in the EU
referendum, the largest individual donation, but was not fazed by
the £400m dent his fortune took in the stock market turmoil that
followed the Brexit vote. Hargreaves co-founded Bristol-based
Hargreaves Lansdown with fellow accountant Steve Lansdown
(qv) in 1981, offering financial advice from a spare room in
Hargreaves’s Clifton cottage. “Peter would go out getting
business on odd days, I’d be out on even days,” Lansdown
recalled. The operation floated in 2007 valued at £700m, and
with the shares having rebounded since last June’s ballot the
group is now worth more than £6.5bn. Hargreaves retains a
32.18% holding worth nearly £2.1bn. 2016: £2.15bn, 50=52 £ 2.3bn £ 540 m ▲
STEPHEN RUBIN AND FAMILY
SportswearRubin, 79, runs the sportswear company Pentland, which has a
number of high-profile labels including Speedo, Berghaus,
Ellesse, Mitre and Kickers. The London-based group also owns
the exclusive worldwide footwear licence for the Lacoste brand
and holds a stake in JD Sports, now worth £1.7bn. A lawyer by
training and a Liberal parliamentary candidate in the 1959
general election, Rubin took over the family shoe business
founded by his father. With £621m net assets the operation would
normally be worth £1.7bn, but the strong performance of
JD Sports’ share price in recent months means we value it at
£2.24bn. Other wealth adds £60m. 2016: £1.76bn, 5753 £ 2.2bn £ 140 m▼
JOHN WHITTAKER AND FAMILY
PropertyPeel Holdings, which is three-quarters owned by the Whittaker
family trust, has its head office at the top of the Trafford Centre
in Manchester. Bury-born Whittaker, 75, who is now based on
the Isle of Man, also plans a £5.5bn Merseyside regeneration
scheme called Liverpool Waters. His assets cover ports,
airports, land and Salford’s MediaCity, home to large parts of the
BBC as well as the set for Coronation Street. The Trafford Centre
is part of the quoted Intu Properties, which has retail hubs
nationwide. Peel has a £986m stake in Intu, despite the share
price being under pressure for the past year. His aviation group
owns Liverpool John Lennon airport and he netted a handsome
return from the takeover of Pinewood Shepperton studios, in
which he retains a stake worth £126m. We see £2bn of net assets
in three main Peel companies in 2014-15. 2016: £2.34bn, 47SPEEDO FORTUNE:
STEPHEN RUBIN
AND FAMILY
Entry 52, £2.3bnIN NUMBERSBERNIE
ECCLESTONE
Entry 47, £2.48bn
2016: £2.48bn, 42=2
failed attempts to
qualify for a grand prix
as a driver2
world championships
won by F1 team
Brabham as manager16
age when he left school40
years in charge of F147
years older than his
wife, Fabiana Flosi1.2bn
annual revenue in
pounds of F1 under
Ecclestone6.5bn
price in pounds
Liberty Media paid for
F1 this yearRich List 2017 Billionaires
The Sunday Times Magazine • 35GETTY