After his grandfather’s engineering company was dissolved in 1975, the 20-year-old Tony Langley bet on himself by taking over the part of the business that manufactured mining equipment.

A pivot in the mid-1980s saw the company expand its interests into other sectors, and by the mid-noughties, Langley Holdings had transformed into the global engineering and industrial juggernaut that it is today. Headquartered in Nottinghamshire, the group now has principal subsidiaries based in Germany, France, Italy and Norway and employs over 5,000 people worldwide.

Langley Holdings’ focused acquisition strategy has secured it companies such as Clarke Chapman (2000), Bradman Lake Group (2007) and Bergen Engines (2021). In 2025, and despite significant losses at its German print machinery business (which it has since sold), the family-owned group achieved revenues of €1.3bn, profit before tax of €152m and a record order book of €2.1 bn.

Tony Langley appeared on The Sunday Times Rich List 2026, with a net worth of £2.14bn. His love for sailing has seen him invest in the Gladiator Sailing Team, which competes in the 52 Super Series. He is hands-on with the business, acting in the roles of helmsman and tactician over the years. He’s also got a close eye on the company’s future, stating in a recent trading statement: “We are at an inflection point of a new era, one inextricably linked to the emergence of artificial intelligence.”