Knighthood for Ineos boss Ratcliffe in Queen’s list

BRITAIN’S richest person, Jim Ratcliffe, the Ineos boss, is among a host of business leaders who are receiving knighthoods in the Queen’s birthday honours list.

Mr Ratcliffe was named as the richest man in the country on The Sunday Times Rich List in May, after his wealth rose to £21.05bn. Tim Waterstone, the book shop founder, and Douglas Flint, the former HSBC chairman, are also being knighted. Moya Greene, Royal Mail’s chief executive, who is due to retire later this year, will be made a Dame. Sir Ian Wood, the oil tycoon, who was awarded a knighthood in 1994 and was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire in 2016, has been made chancellor of the Order of the Thistle by the Queen.

David Green, the former director of the Serious Fraud Office, is also being knighted. During his tenure at the white collar crime authority questions over the organisation’s future were raised after it emerged that Theresa May, the Prime Minister, had hoped to abolish it and hand its responsibilities over to the National Crime Agency, although those plans appear to have been scrapped.

The Queen’s birthday honours list also recognises Mark Carne, the boss of Network Rail – who will receive a CBE for services to the rail industry – and Brent Cheshire, former chairman of Dong Energy UK for services to the renewable energy sector. Jo Malone, the perfumer, will receive a CBE for services to the British economy and the “Great Britain” tourism campaign, while Janet Mccollum, who runs Northern Ireland’s largest poultry producer, Moy Park, will earn the same honour for services to economic development.

Brenda Trenowden, head of the financial institutions group at ANZ Bank and global chairman of the 30 Percent Club, is being awarded a CBE for services to exports in the financial sector and to gender equality. The 30 Percent Club campaigns to get a minimum of 30pc female representation on FTSE 100 boards.