Sir James Arthur Ratcliffe was born on 18 October 1952 and is a British billionaire, chemical engineer and businessman.
23 Facts About Jim Ratcliffe
2.
Jim Ratcliffe is the chairman and chief executive officer of the INEOS chemicals group, which he founded in 1998.
3.
Jim Ratcliffe is estimated to have had a turnover of $65 billion in 2021.
4.
Jim Ratcliffe was born in Failsworth, Greater Manchester, the son of a father who started out as a joiner, and a mother who was an accounts office worker.
5.
Jim Ratcliffe was raised in a council house in the town until the age of 10, when the family moved to East Yorkshire.
6.
Jim Ratcliffe was a co-founder of Inspec, which leased the former BP Chemicals site in Antwerp, Belgium.
7.
In 1998, Jim Ratcliffe formed INEOS in Hampshire to buy-out Inspec and the freehold of the Antwerp site.
8.
From this small base, using high-yield debt to finance deals, Jim Ratcliffe started buying unwanted operations from groups such as ICI and BP, selecting targets based on their potential to double their earnings over a five-year period.
9.
In 2015, Jim Ratcliffe opened the UK headquarters of the chemicals and energy group in Knightsbridge, London, along with gas and oil trading, and other functions, saying he was "very cheerful about coming back to the UK".
10.
Jim Ratcliffe was pleased with UK policy, London as a business base, and untroubled by the prospect of Brexit.
11.
On 1 May 2019, Jim Ratcliffe criticised the current government rules that say fracking in Britain must be suspended every time a 0.5 magnitude tremor is detected, which has led to a de facto ban on fracking:.
12.
On 13 November 2017, Jim Ratcliffe became the owner of FC Lausanne-Sport, a Swiss Super League football club.
13.
On 19 March 2019, Jim Ratcliffe purchased the Team Sky cycling franchise, subsequently rebranded Team INEOS.
14.
Jim Ratcliffe supported the October 2019 INEOS 1:59 Challenge, a successful effort by Eliud Kipchoge to run the classic marathon distance under 2 hours.
15.
Jim Ratcliffe said the first units will produce clean hydrogen through the electrolysis of water in Norway, powered by renewable electricity, and will serve as a hub to provide gas for the country's transport industry.
16.
Jim Ratcliffe intends to invest in France and the UK, where his hydrogen business will be headquartered.
17.
Jim Ratcliffe was appointed Knight Bachelor in the 2018 Birthday Honours for services to business and to investment.
18.
Jim Ratcliffe has one daughter from a previous relationship, with Maria Alessia Maresca, an Italian tax lawyer.
19.
Jim Ratcliffe owns an estate on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland and the hotels, Le Portetta and Lime Wood.
20.
Jim Ratcliffe enjoys physical adventure and has made expeditions to the North and South Poles, as well as a three-month-long motorbike trek in South Africa.
21.
Jim Ratcliffe has publicly expressed his disdain for politicians, criticising them for the way they negotiated the Brexit withdrawal agreement and are often happy to "lunch around with bankers", but less keen to discuss economic issues with industrialists and business owners.
22.
Jim Ratcliffe has owned two super yachts, Hampshire and Hampshire II.
23.
Jim Ratcliffe is a Chelsea season ticket holder, despite saying he is a Manchester United fan.