Sir Michael Moritz and Harriet Heyman are the richest people in Wales, according to the new edition of The Sunday Times Rich List, published today online at thetimes.co.uk/sunday-times-rich-list and in the print edition of the newspaper on Sunday, May 21.
The 68-page special edition of The Sunday Times Magazine reveals the wealth of the 350 richest people in Britain in its 35th annual edition. There are 171 billionaires in the UK recorded this year, down 6 from 2022, the first fall for 14 years. The combined wealth of the UK billionaires is £683.856 billion, up £30.734 billion, or 4.5 per cent, on the total wealth of the billionaires in last year’s Rich List.
Despite a £667 billion fall in wealth, Moritz and his wife have donated 5 percent of their current wealth to charitable causes, ranking them the top of the 10 most charitable in the UK according to The Sunday Times Giving List. Cardiff-born Moritz made his money investing in Google, PayPal and YouTube at venture capital firm Sequoia. Together, the couple co-founded Crankstart – a foundation designed to support critical issues, from economic mobility and education to the environment, medical science and innovation.
The Sunday Times Giving List in association with the Charities Aid Foundation, tracks the philanthropic activity of Britain’s 100 wealthiest people who collectively gave £3.431 billion to charity personally or through their charitable foundations or businesses this year, up by £1.092 billion on last year’s total giving.
The husband and wife, Douglas and Dame Mary Perkins, who started Specsavers from their spare bedroom, is this year’s highest climber in the region. Their combined wealth is estimated at £1.566 billion – up £236 million.
Cardiff-born Gareth Bale has been named as one of the richest people in the UK under 35. Bale’s £70 million pound fortune stems from his 17-year football career, during which he reportedly earned £600,000 a week.
Owners of AU Vodka, Charlie Morgan and Jackson Quinn, are also referenced as some of the richest individuals in the UK under 35. Hailing from Swansea City, Morgan and Quinn launched AU Vodka in 2015.
Overall, the richest 350 in the UK this year are worth £796.459 billion. The minimum wealth needed to be counted in our top 350 is £350 million.
The 5 wealthiest people in Wales
| Rank | Name | Source of Wealth | 2023 Wealth | Rise/Fall |
| 1 | Sir Michael Moritz and Harriet Heyman | Internet: Sequoia | £3.333bn | Down £667bn |
| 2 | Simon Nixon | Internet and property: Moneysupermarket | £1.825bn | Down £100m |
| 3 | Douglas and Dame Mary Perkins and family | Opticians: Specsavers | £1.566bn | Up £236m |
| 4 | Sir Terry Matthews | Telecoms: MItel | £1.333bn | Up £103m |
| 5 | David Sullivan and family | Property, football and media: Conegate | £1.118bn | No change |
Robert Watts, compiler of the Sunday Times Rich List, said: “This year’s Sunday Times Rich List shows a golden period for the super rich is over. For the first time in 14 years we’ve seen the number of UK billionaires fall.
“Two years ago we raised concerns about an unsettling boom in the fortunes of the very wealthy that continued unchecked during the political instability around Brexit and the pandemic. This is not a crash – but there are household names who have lost vast sums over the past year. The bursting of the tech bubble, the end of rock bottom interests and the jitters creeping through the banking industry have all taken their toll.
“The super rich don’t exist in a vacuum. Many small investors lost money in some of their overblown stock market floats. Many people also work for their businesses. Financial losses for billionaires can have implications for us all.”
