Surrey's Richest 50 2011
PUBLISHED: 17:06 05 April 2012 | UPDATED: 17:00 02 May 2018
Surrey's Richest 50 2011
We may be in the midst of an economic downturn, but that doesn’t seem to be having much effect on Surrey’s wealthiest residents, with most of them increasing their fortunes again this year. Here, in our annual guide, Philip Beresford, the writer of the Sunday Times Rich List, reveals the 50 richest people in the county
Surrey’s rich have never had it so good. This year, the combined wealth of the 50 richest people who were born or live in the county has reached a staggering £52.7 billion in the latest Surrey Life Richest 50. This is the fourth list and that figure is way above the £7 billion figure in our last list or, indeed, in any previous lists.
The reason for this unprecedented rise is simple: Surrey is an amazingly safe and attractive place for the world’s super-rich to live. The decision by Lakshmi Mittal, the richest person in Britain, to build a new £30m eco-home near Cranleigh is proof of that. Mittal’s £17,500m fortune is added to our calculations, so pushes up the overall wealth figure. But other Russian billionaires who have homes here are also forcing up the overall figure to the point that Surrey now has seven billionaires.
In total, 11 in our list have made their fortunes in finance, reflecting the proximity to the City. One of the biggest changes has been in property and construction. When we first started as the property boom was at its height, there were 18 property or housebuilding tycoons in the list. Today, it is just nine.
Celebrity wealth
But where Surrey does score is in its celebrity wealth, be it music or media. With some ten out of the 50, this is a far higher percentage than any other county, reflecting Surrey’s.
Accessibility to the capital, its availability of luxury but discreet homes where they can relax, and the ability to jet off quickly from Gatwick, Heathrow or a private airstrip. There are seven music millionaires in the county, including Eric Clapton, Rolling Stones such as Sir Mick Jagger and the evergreen Sir Cliff Richard, while Sir Michael Caine represents the film world.
Interestingly, it is also a very meritocratic list. There are still no aristocrats of the old school as Surrey does not have a tradition of great landed families. Of our 50, only six actually inherited their wealth, so this is a list of Surrey’s self-made tycoons.
It’s also a male list too. There are only five women in the Surrey Life Richest 50 and most are in by virtue of being in with their husbands as a family entry. The only female entrepreneurs are Jacqueline Gold, the driving force behind the Ann Summers retail chain, and Penny Streeter who runs A24, a company supplying nursing staff for care homes.
But to qualify someone for the Surrey Life Richest 50 is no simple matter. The 50 must either work, live or have a substantial presence in the area. Their wealth is assessed on land holdings, shares in quoted or private companies and any sale proceeds from company sales. Quoted company stakes were valued in April 2011.
Private companies are generally valued at about eight to ten times their latest profit figures depending on the financial health of the operation. We have no access to detailed personal financial records such as bank accounts or the like, and therefore make no allowance for these.
1 Lakshmi Mittal, 60, and family
Industry
£17,500m
2 Alisher Usmanov, 57
Industry
£12,400m
3 Roman Abramovich, 44
Industry
£10,600m
4 Pyotr Aven, 56
Finance
£2,800m
5 Mohamed Al Fayed, 82
Retailing
£1,300m
6 Mark Coombs, 51
Finance
£1,150m
7 Nadhmi Auchi, 74
Finance
£1,000m
8 Boris Berezovsky, 65
Finance
£470m
9 Navin, 60, & Varsha Engineer, 56
Pharmaceuticals
£400m
10 Mark Dixon, 51
Property
£390m
11 David Gold, 74, & family
Media and football
£340m
12 Zac, 36, & Lady Annabel Goldsmith, 77
Politics and finance
£300m
13 Surinder Arora, 52, & family
Leisure
£249m
14 Andrew Wates, 70, & family
Construction
£220m
15 Peter Harrison, 74, & family
Computers
£200m
16 Sir Mick Jagger, 67
Music
£190m
17 Ron Dennis, 64
Industry
£177m
18 Theo Paphitis, 51
Retailing
£170m
19 Johnny, 65, & Patrick Byrne, 62
Construction
£165m
=20 Anthony Brotherton-Ratcliffe, 61, & family
Construction
£150m
20= Peter Wood, 64
Finance
£150m
22 Sir Ray Tindle, 84
Media
£145m
23 John Dunsdon, 59, & family
Property
£144m
24 Dr Philip, 74, & Patricia Brown, 72
Media
£132m
25 Eric Clapton, 66
Music
£125m
26 The Goodliffe family
Business services
£120m
28 Tony Pidgley, 63
Construction
£110m
=29 Roger Waters, 68
Music
£105m
=29 Robert, 48, & Patrick Wilson, 46
Pharmaceuticals
£105m
=31 Angus Ball, 47
Finance
£95m
=31 Keith Morris, 57
Finance
£95m
33 Grahame Chilton, 52
Finance
£93m
34 Simon, 50, & Paul Upward, 48
Property
£86m
=35 Brian May, 63
Music
£85m
=35 David Gilmour, 65
Music
£85m
=35 Sir Terence Conran, 79, & family
Design and food
£85m
=35 Christopher Hohn, 44
Finance
£85m
39 Tony Brown, 74, & family
Industry
£77m
40 Penny Streeter, 43, & family
Business services
£70m
=41 Paul Gemski, 53
Fuel supplies
£60m
=41 Ronald, 74, & Peter Goldstein, 71
Retailing
£60m
43 Mark Hunter, 48
Software
£52m
=44 Sir Cliff Richard, 70
Music
£50m
=44 Sir Michael Caine, 78
Media
£50m
46 Nicholas Vetch, 50
Property
£48m
=47 Chris Ingram, 68, & family
Media
£45m
=47 Alan Spence, 64
Leisure
£45m
=49 Kenneth Green, 66, & family
Perfume
£42m
50 Pete Townshend, 66
Music
£40m
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