John Whittaker – Billionaire

John Whittaker runs the Peel Group, a large British conglomerate that holds stakes in property, media and infrastructure businesses. Known as a visionary with a penchant for regeneration projects, Whittaker got his start in the 1970s acquiring cotton mills for their land.He’s in the midst of his most ambitious project yet, a 50-year, $73 billion plan to transform a 50-mile corridor encompassing Liverpool and Manchester. The project will build parks, wind farms, retail and residential developments, and revitalize docks. His group also developed several of Britain’s best-known buildings, including MediaCityUK and Trafford Centre mall. The latter was sold to Capital Shopping Centres in return for a nearly one-fourth stake in the group. Peel owned a majority stake in Pinewood Shepperton, which includes the famous U.K. studio that filmed the James Bond and Harry Potter movies, until it was taken private in August 2016. The Manchester-native now lives in a mansion on the Isle of Man.

John Whittaker is a British businessman and real estate baron who has an estimated net worth of $2.4 billion as of November 2016 according to Forbes. He is the 19th richest person in United Kingdom and 638th in the list of World Billionaires. Born on March 14, 1942 in Bury, Lancashire, England, Mr. Whittaker has earned his estimated net worth of $2.5 billion as the Chairman of The Peel Group, a private real estate, media, transportation, and infrastructure investment company in the UK that invests mainly in Northwest England. He was even richer by $800 million this year with his many real estate and port holdings.

In 2011, Whittaker sold the Manchester’s massive Trafford Center mall, one of Britain’s best-known buildings, to Capital Shopping Centers in return for a nearly one-fourth stake in the group. He renamed the group Intu Properties in February 2013 with the hope of creating a stronger brand identity across all of its properties such as the Essex Mall Lakeside, a long time favorite of London patrons.

John Whittaker’s Peel Group owns a stake in Pinewood Shepperton, the famous U.K. film studio where the James Bond and Harry Potter films were shot. The firm is also backing up MediaCityUK, a massive development in the northern English city of Salford that serves as the BBC’s official headquarter.

Currently, the media-shy property mogul lives quietly on the Isle of Man, a self-governing British dependency in the Irish Sea, where he owns Billown Mansion. He has donated $1.5 million to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and supports Sparks, a children’s medical research charity.

Source:

1. forbes

2. therichest