The 2024 Sunday Times Rich List has been revealed with Anders Holch Povlsen once again named the richest man in Scotland.
The annual Rich List charts the wealth of the 350 richest people in the UK based on factors including land, property and other assets, with this year’s publication revealing the largest fall in billionaires in the guide’s history.
In spite of this, the individuals and families included in the 2024 edition still hold a combined wealth of £795.361 billion – a figure which is higher than the annual GDP of Poland.
For the third year in a row, Gopi Hinduja and his family top the Sunday Times Rich List with a wealth of £37 billion while some, including Sir Lewis Hamilton and David Moulsdale – the founder of the Glasgow-based laser eye surgery business Optical Express – make their Rich List debuts.
Meanwhile, Danish fashion billionaire Mr Povlsen is once again Scotland’s wealthiest individual as well as being its biggest landowner, with JK Rowling also among the richest Scottish people included on the 2024 Rich List after her wealth increased by £70 million in the last year.
It’s also notable that not all of the wealthiest individuals in Scotland who made the 2024 Sunday Times Rich List are billionaires, as a result of the overall fall in numbers.
1. Anders Holch Povlsen — £6.73 billion
Once more Scotland’s richest man, Anders Holch Povlsen has a personal fortune of £6.73 billion though this is down £1.77 billion on last year. Mr Povlsen is the owner of international retail clothing chain Bestseller as well as the second largest stakeholder in German brand Zalando and the largest shareholder of Asos. In addition to being the country’s richest man, though he is originally from Denmark, Mr Povlsen is also Scotland’s largest landowner and the owner of Highland hospitality and estates firm Wildland Limited. | Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Ima
2. Glenn Gordon and family — £5.619 billion
Behind spirits company William Grant and Sons, Glenn Gordon and family are worth £5.619 billion in 2024 which is up £1.012 billion on last year. | pavlofox - stock.adobe.com
3. Sir Ian Wood and family — £1.911 billion
The wealth of Sir Ian Wood and family has increased by £91 million since last year, meaning their fortune in 2024 sits around £1.911 billion. Having transformed his family-owned fishing business into North Sea oil services firm Wood Group. | Lisa Ferguson
4. Mahdi Al-Tajir — £1.641 billion
The owner of Highland Spring, Mahdi Al-Tajir is worth £1.641 billion which is up £4 million on last year. A former UAE ambassador to the UK and France, Mr al-Tajir splits his time between his home in London and his 18,000 acre Perthshire estate. | Nick Mailer/Contibuted