Rich List 2024: 5 Derbyshire millionaires and billionaire named in Insider Media Midlands Rich List

Five Derbyshire millionaires - and one billionaire - feature on the Insider Media Rich List 2024 released exclusively to DerbyWorld today (Wednesday, November 13, 2024).

The Rich List 2024 was curated by Robert Watts whose other compilations include the Sunday Times Rich List.

The wider 50-strong list reflects a group of business leaders worth more than £50bn.

This year’s Rich List puts the combined wealth of the Midlands’ wealthiest business leaders at £51.79bn - up £4.9bn on last year’s figures.

A new person is officially number one; JCB’s Lord Anthony Bamford.

The owner and family of the iconic digger manufacturer have seen their personal wealth rise by 60 per cent to £9.45bn.

The Rich List was compiled by valuing stakes in quoted companies in October 2024 according to prices prevailing in the Financial Times.

Here is the list of richest people from Derbyshire in 2024

1. John Bloor - ranking 4 (age 81)

£3.5bn (£3.588bn)

Construction and motorcycles

A plasterer in his youth, Bloor has become a leading house builder and injected life into the Triumph motorcycle brand. The Derbyshire-based billionaire paid himself £18.7m of dividends last year despite lower profits.

2. The Kirkland family - ranking 16

£683m (£660m)

Construction

Derbyshire house builder Bowmer and Kirkland is chaired by Jack Kirkland, owned by his family, and worth its £591.8m net assets – up £18.6m on the previous year. Kirkland was one of the business leaders to pledge public support to Sir Keir Starmer ahead of this summer’s general election.

3. David Clowes and family (age 55) - ranking 16

£325m (£330m)

Property

A former British Midland pilot, Clowes now runs his family’s £296.5m property empire. He bought championship football team Derby County in 2022 but is considering selling up to 80 per cent of his shares to pull more money into the club.

4. Mel Morris (age 68) - ranking 28

£312m (£312m)

Games and internet

After leaving school at 16 and working as a flooring salesman, Morris made his first £20m fortune from uDate, an early dating website, another £10m from an internet security venture, then hit the big time with his third venture King, the developer of the hit mobile game Candy Crush, which floated at £450m. Morris would be a lot wealthier were it not for the millions he poured into Championship football team Derby County.

5. Harold Martin and family (age 89) - ranking 32

£291m (£274m)

Industry

Martin last year paid himself a “significant bonus” of £22.8m from his landscaping contractor HW Martin. The Alfreton-based fencing to recycling group should still be worth £250m.

£201m (£200m)

Construction and property

Gadsby has sold two house builders over the years and retains his Derby-based investment firm Ark Capital. Net assets there have grown by £1m over the past year.