RESULTS FOR 2008
Ranking: 1
Worth: £27,700m
Source of wealth: Steel

It’s getting personal for Mittal, 57. Not content with running the world’s biggest steel company, he wants to gobble up his brother’s steel plant in Bulgaria. Brother Pramod owns the Kremikovtzi plant and Lakshmi has submitted a bid for the ailing operation. Turning it round should not be hard for Mittal. In 2006 he secured Arcelor, the world’s second biggest steelmaker after Mittal Steel, in a £17.8 billion deal. Arcelor Mittal, as the new venture is called, is the world leader, producing 110m tons of steel, about 10% of the market. Although retaining his Indian passport, Mittal, who heads our list for the fourth year running, spends much of his time in London. His son, Aditya, pictured above with his father, is also based here and plays an increasingly important role in the business, leading the bid for Arcelor. With the combined Arcelor Mittal now worth more than £57.2 billion, the Mittal family’s 43% stake is worth £24.6 billion. From 1998 to 2005, the Mittals had £1.57 billion in dividends from its steel operations . Mittal is also a shareholder in Queens Park Rangers with Bernie Ecclestone (qv) and Flavio Briatore (qv) making the London football club the richest in the world in terms of ownership. Other assets add about £2 billion and the Mittal family is now worth £27.7 billion and rising.

RESULTS FOR 2007
Ranking: 1
Worth: £19,250m
Source of wealth: Steel