Search the definitive guide to the richest 1,000 in Britain and Ireland

Dermot Desmond

Desmond, 56, is expanding after selling London City airport to a US consortium last year, making £736m, and divesting his stake in Irish food and property company Greencore to Liam Carroll (qv) for £112m, making £30m. A tax exile in Gibraltar, his Dublin-based IIU investment vehicle is evaluating new projects around the globe. His stakes in online betting exchange Betdaq and Barchester, a growing nursing home business, are worth £200m-plus. He has a £24m share of Toronto mining company Mountain Province and made £240m from selling stakes in Esat Digifone, Baltimore Technology, Manchester United and Golden Vale. Other wealth includes a share of a £2.3 billion oil refinery in Canada and 40.45% of Celtic football club, whose shares are down, valuing his stake at £8m this year. Properties, including a third of the Sandy Lane hotel in Barbados, horses, a jet and art have increased to at least £80m.