1. Sir James Arthur Ratcliffe was born on 18 October 1952 and is a British billionaire, chemical engineer, and businessman.
29 Facts About Jim Ratcliffe
1. 2.
Jim Ratcliffe is the chairman and chief executive officer of the INEOS chemicals group, which he founded in 1998.
3.
In February 2024, Jim Ratcliffe became a minority shareholder in the English football club Manchester United and gained control over sporting operations.
4.
Jim Ratcliffe was born in Failsworth, Lancashire, where his father worked as a joiner and went on to run a factory that made laboratory furniture.
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 studied chemical engineering at the University of Birmingham and graduated in 1974 with a 2:1.
7.
Jim Ratcliffe went on to work for the fabric and chemicals producer Courtaulds, where he stayed until his mid-thirties.
8.
Jim Ratcliffe was a co-founder of Inspec, which leased the former BP Chemicals site in Antwerp, Belgium.
9.
In 1998, Jim Ratcliffe formed INEOS in Hampshire to buy-out Inspec and the freehold of the Antwerp site.
10.
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.
11.
Jim Ratcliffe acquired Norsk Hydro's polymers business in 2007, allowing INEOS to expand its presence in the European polymers market, particularly in polyvinyl chloride production, significantly strengthening its market position.
12.
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".
13.
Jim Ratcliffe was pleased with UK policy and London as a business base, and untroubled by the prospect of Brexit.
14.
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, calling the government "pathetic".
15.
Jim Ratcliffe unsuccessfully approached Jaguar Land Rover to buy the tooling to continue production after the original model was cancelled.
16.
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.
17.
Jim Ratcliffe intends to invest in France and the UK, where his hydrogen business will be headquartered.
18.
Jim Ratcliffe is keen on sport and in 2013, he completed the Marathon Des Sables across the Sahara Desert, and he has founded a charity "Go Run for Fun", encouraging thousands of children aged between five and ten to get active by creating celebrity-driven events.
19.
Jim Ratcliffe supported the 2019 INEOS 1:59 Challenge, a successful effort by Eliud Kipchoge to run the classic marathon distance under 2 hours.
20.
Jim Ratcliffe purchased Lausanne-Sport, a Swiss Super League club, in 2017.
21.
On 24 December 2023, Manchester United announced that Jim Ratcliffe had acquired a 25 percent stake in the club, marking a significant development, as INEOS Sport assumed control over football operations.
22.
Jim Ratcliffe purchased the Team Sky cycling franchise in 2019, subsequently rebranded Team INEOS.
23.
Jim Ratcliffe was appointed Knight Bachelor in the 2018 Birthday Honours for services to business and to investment.
24.
Jim Ratcliffe has two sons with previous wife Amanda Townson, and one daughter from a previous relationship with Italian tax lawyer Maria Alessia Maresca.
25.
Jim Ratcliffe includes a lot of physical exercise in his lifestyle, including gym work and running.
26.
Jim Ratcliffe enjoys sport and physical adventure, and has made expeditions to the North and South Poles, as well as a three-month motorbike trek in South Africa.
27.
Jim Ratcliffe owns an estate on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland, as well as the hotels Le Portetta in Courchevel and Lime Wood in Hampshire.
28.
Jim Ratcliffe has owned two super yachts by Feadship: Hampshire and Hampshire II.
29.
Jim Ratcliffe has publicly expressed his disdain for politicians, criticising them for the way they negotiated the Brexit withdrawal agreement, and how they are often "happy to lunch around bankers" but less keen to discuss economic issues with industrialists and business owners.