Sir Jim Ratcliffe was born in the 1950s in the industrial heartlands of Lancashire and raised on a council estate. Today, he is the founder and driving force behind INEOS, one of the world's largest chemical manufacturers. His path there was not a straight one. Fresh out of university, he lasted just three days at BP; his eczema made it unsafe for him to work around hazardous chemicals. But after an MBA, he returned to BP – this time as a buyer.

In 1992, he co-founded Inspec in a buyout of BP's speciality chemicals division. Six years later, he founded INEOS, buying Inspec's Antwerp site (a former BP chemicals plant) for £84m. Following a wave of shrewd acquisitions in the early 2000s, INEOS has grown into a sprawling industrial group encompassing 28 businesses across 26 countries. Its products now touch nearly every corner of modern life, from automotive to consumer goods to healthcare.

Global scale has naturally brought its own pressures. In answer, Ratcliffe has increasingly been looking across the Atlantic. At the end of 2025, INEOS Energy officially surpassed $3 billion in total energy investments committed to the US. In September 2026, Ratcliffe suspended operations at three plants in Hull, blaming high UK gas prices.

Today, Ratcliffe is one of the UK's richest – and most controversial – billionaires, with stakes in a roster of sporting institutions including a part-ownership of Manchester United FC. Away from the headlines, though, there’s no denying that the business’s estimated £20.7bn valuation is his to own.