Couple still on rich list – despite £363m BHS pensions settlement
SIR PHILIP and Lady Green appear on a list of the richest couples in the country – although their wealth is said to have fallen by £433m over the last year.
They were ranked in fifth place in the husbands-and-wives section of the new edition of the
Rich List, to be published on Sunday.
Ernesto and Kirsty Bertarelli top the list of the richest husbands and wives, with wealth put at £11.5bn. Those behind the list said the couple’s fortune is largely derived from the sale of the family biotech business Serono, and the soaring share value in a further pharma business, Santhera.
Charlene de CarvalhoHeineken, the daughter of late Heineken boss Freddy Heineken, and her husband Michel de Carvalho were identified as the second-wealthiest couple in the UK with a fortune put at £9.3bn. Cumulatively, the 10 richest husbands and wives in the UK have seen their fortune increase by £3.4bn in the past 12 months, according to the study.
Sir Philip and Lady Green were the only couple on the list whose wealth was said to have decreased in the last year. They have seen their wealth fall by £433m to £2.787bn, the Rich List found. Arcadia boss Sir Philip agreed to pay £363m to settle the BHS pension scheme in February. The department store chain plunged into administration just over a year ago.
In total, the 10 couples are worth £39.9bn, according to the guide, which charts the 1,000 richest individuals and families in the British Isles.
Robert Watts, the compiler of the Rich List 2017, said: “Starting a business with your other half may not appeal to everyone. A bit of pillow talk about balance sheets wouldn’t suit all marriages, but there are clearly some couples who are making it work – and very well.”
He added the list reflected a “greater diversity” with a growing number of women and more people from ethnic backgrounds and “more surprising walks of life” such as soft toy makers and dating app developers all featuring.