As they say…The Rich get Richer…And the lure of money has no bounds.
Even as United Kingdom is to come on terms with the global recovery, Indian-origin business tycoons are making the headlines with inclusion in the Sunday Times Rich List for 2010 for UK.
Rajasthan-born Lakshmi Nivas Mittal has yet again topped with a coveted numero uno position for the sixth consecutive year for the UK’s Top 10 Rich List.
A sharp recovery in the Steel markets has enabled the steel baron to witness a surge in his fortunes from 10.8 billion pounds in 2009 to 22.45 billion pounds in 2010, summing up to a whooping over 100% surge.
Another Indian-born business tycoon Anil Agarwal of mining group Vedanta Resources witnessed a surge in his wealth from 600 million pound to a 4.1 billion pound.
In this journey of fortune making, Agarwal saw the highest improvement by 60 places up the list with six-fold jump in his wealth as the share prices of Vedanta added 3.5 billion pounds to their business.
The collective wealth of Britain’s 1000 most affluent people increased by 77 billion pounds at 335.5 billion pounds, a surge of approximately 30% – representing a record of sorts in the 22 years of annual increase in wealth of top coveted names of Britain.
The Queen, who is Britain’s 245th richest person, saw her personal fortune rise by £20m to £290m. Harry Potter film star Daniel Radcliffe is the highest-earning young actor with riches worth £42m. Robert Pattinson is the fifth highest-earning film star aged under 30, according to The Sunday Times Rich List 2010.
Even as these mouth-watering figures reflect optimism, the ground reality in the UK is not so positive with common public still feeling the pinch of recession and public spending cuts.
The annual list takes into account the wealth such as land, property and other identifiable wealth such as art works, shares, etc.
Even as the Mittal tops the list, it needs to be pointed out over here that his wealth was severely affected during the global crisis. The steel magnate was the Britain’s biggest loser during the recession.
At the same time, Anil Agarwal was the elite wealthy person who saw his wealth nosedive by a good 1.5 to 2 billion pounds knocked off the value of his stake in Vedanta resources during global recession.
One can say that a boom in commodity and metal markets have seen a sharp reversal in the fortunes of Indian-born honchos.
The Top 10 of Rich List 2010
| 1. Lakshmi Mittal | 22.4 billion pounds |
| 2. Roman Abramovich | 7.4 billion pounds |
| 3. Duke of Westminster | 6.7 billion pounds |
| 4. Ernesto and Kirsty Bertarelli | 5.9 billion pounds |
| 5. David and Simon Reuben | 5.5 billion pounds |
| 6. Alisher Usmanov | 4.7 billion pounds |
| 7. Galen and George Weston | 4.5 billion pounds |
| 8. Charlene and Michel de Carvalho | 4.4 billion pounds |
| 9. Sir Philip and Lady Green | 4.1 billion pounds |
| 10. Anil Agarwal | 4.1 billion pounds |