A Sunderland businessman has been named in this year's Sunday Times Rich List.
John Reece, the Sunderland-born co-owner of chemicals giant Ineos, tops the 2026 list for the North East.
Mr Reece has an estimated fortune of £4.744bn, but his worth has fallen from £5.316bn last year.
Born in Sunderland in March 1957, Reece studied at the University of Cambridge before qualifying as an accountant and rising through the ranks at London-based PwC.
But he made his fortune as chief financial officer and a minority shareholder of Ineos.
He joined Ineos in 2000, two years after it was founded, and has been a key figure in the company’s expansion into one of the world’s largest chemical groups.
The Sunday Times said the 2026 list marks the largest drop in billionaire numbers in its 38-year history.
The 350 individuals and families featured collectively hold £783.5bn - exceeding the annual GDP of Belgium, Sweden, or Israel, and representing about a quarter of the UK’s GDP.
Peter Stephenson and family took second place, with a sharp rise in wealth to £1.266bn from £591m.
Much of their fortune comes from Able UK, the Teesside-based firm installing offshore wind farms.
Robert Watts, compiler of the Sunday Times Rich List, said: "This year’s Rich List is a tale of two exoduses.
"One in six of the individuals and families who appeared on the list two years ago don’t feature this time.
"Many foreign billionaires who have been living in the UK have also dropped out because they have moved away.
"We have also seen a sharp rise in the number of British nationals now resident in Dubai, Switzerland and Monaco.
"As UK nationals, these people remain on our Rich List - wherever they now live."
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This year’s edition shines a light on fortunes made from artificial intelligence, driverless cars and crypto-currencies as well as baby milk, make-up, hoodies and other everyday items.
The Rich List entry threshold has fallen to £340m, reflecting what The Sunday Times described as "a subdued year" for some of the UK’s wealthiest individuals.
For more information on this year's list, you can visit thetimes.com/sunday-times-rich-list.
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