James Ratcliffe
Chemicals · London
Net worth
$17.4B
Today
−$425−0.00%Past month
−$55M−0.32%As of Nov 11, 2026, 1:50 PM EST
James Ratcliffe is the founder, chairman and majority owner of chemical powerhouse Ineos Group. The London-based conglomerate produces everything from synthetic oils and plastics to solvents used to make insulin and antibiotics. It's become one of the U.K. shale sector's largest players. Its 600-foot "Dragon Ships" were the first to transport U.S. shale gas into Europe. Ratcliffe, a former chemical engineer, mortgaged his house in 1992 to lead the buyout of a BP chemicals business; 6 years later, he bought a plant from that firm to form Ineos. Ineos acquired two chemicals businesses from BP in 2021 for $5 billion. It formed petrochemical JVs with Sinopec worth more than $7 billion in 2022. In 2023, Ineos acquired $1.4 billion of U.S. onshore oil and gas assets from Chesapeake Energy. Ineos also acquired a stake in British soccer club Manchester United for $1.5 billion.
Net worth over time
Principal holdings
1 positions| Company | Industry | Share | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
Private holdings | Manufacturing | 100.0% | $17.4B |
Also known for
- An adventure seeker, Ratcliffe has made trips to both the North and South poles and went on a month-long motorbike trip in South Africa in 2015.
- Ineos owns a third of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, as well as two smaller soccer clubs in France and Switzerland.
- It has also built a successor to Land Rover's discontinued off-roader Defender, the Ineos Grenadier.