Despite considerable losses, Manchester United stakeholder and INEOS CEO Sir Jim Ratcliffe still makes The Sunday Times Rich List with his eye-watering wealth. Here’s how the billionaire made his fortune.
According to this year’s The Sunday Times Rich List, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has suffered considerable losses for a consecutive year with a £6.473 billion decline in wealth seeing his fortune fall to £17.046bn. Football fans will be well aware of Sir Ratcliffe - who purchased a minority shareholding in Manchester United, assuming control over 'sporting operations' - football - in 2024.
His rise to riches started much earlier, however. Born in Lancashire in 1952, Sir Ratcliffe was the son of a joiner and an accounts worker. He was raised in a council house until the family bought a home when he was 10. A bright youngster, Sir Ratcliffe went to Beverley Grammar School and studied chemical engineering at the University of Birmingham. It was here he gained a strong background in the industry that would eventually make him the UK's richest person.
A father of three, Sir Ratcliffe now lives in Monaco and is married to Catherine Polli. He has two sons with former wife Amanda Townson, and a daughter with ex - Italian tax lawyer Maria Alessia Maresca.
Sir Ratcliffe has a passion for sport, with his first investment coming in cycling when, in 2019, he bought out the Team Sky franchise, rebranding it INEOS. Continuing the quick success he saw in business, the INEOS team won the 2019 Tour de France and 2021 Giro d'Italia, the two most prestigious races on the cycling circuit.
Then, he turned his attention to football and his roots in the north of England.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Ineos CEO and minority shareholder of Manchester United, makes The Sunday Times Rich List 2025Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Ineos CEO and minority shareholder of Manchester United, makes The Sunday Times Rich List 2025
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Ineos CEO and minority shareholder of Manchester United, makes The Sunday Times Rich List 2025 | Lucy North/PA Wire
How did Sir Jim Ratcliffe make his fortune?
After graduating from Birmingham, Sir Ratcliffe ended up at oil giant Esso, where he studied for an MBA and eventually worked for fabric and chemicals producer, Courtaulds. A stint at private equity group Advent International through the 90s and a move back into chemicals eventually led to Sir Ratcliffe forming INEOS, which took control of a former BP Chemicals site in Belgium.
He continued that model, buying up operations from the likes of BP and ICI - and promptly doubled their earnings. Sir Ratcliffe's talent for the business - and his model - made him billions. In 2018, he was named number one on the Sunday Times UK Rich List, with a fortune of £21.05 billion.
However, he has suffered some set backs in recent years - not uncommon among those who choose to invest in football. Between 2024 and 2025, Sir Ratcliffe's net worth fell by £6.473 billion decline, to £17.046bn.
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