Swadlincote billionaire housebuilder John Bloor is the second richest man in the East Midlands while Burton-based Clinigen owners take the number 18 spot for the West Midlands, according to The Sunday Times rich list.
Other locals making the West Midlands rich list is Dunstall-based Simon Clarke and family, a non-executive director at St Modwen - the company founded by his late father Sir Stan Clarke who died in 2004.
In 2007 the family sold its 56 per cent stake in Northern Racing for £65.9 million. Mr Clarke comes in at number 20 on the list with a net worth of £212 million.
The 160-page latest edition of The Sunday Times Magazine reveals the wealth of the 1,000 richest people in Britain and is celebrating its 30th anniversary issue.
East Staffordshire-based JCB chairman Lord Bamford takes third spot for the West Midlands.
He gave his 5,500 UK staff a 3.9 per cent pay rise, which followed a £500 Christmas bonus for each worker just days before.
The family were Britain’s biggest political donors in 2017, gifting personally and through JCB a total of £2.463m to the Conservative Party.
However, they have been beaten to the top spot by Ernesto and Kirsty Bertarelli on the West Midlands list with a staggering £9.659 billion after selling their biotech business Serono for £13.3 billion in 2006.
Kirsty, the Staffordshire-born songwriter and former Miss UK who co-wrote the track Black Coffee, a hit for the girl band All Saints and is Britain's third wealthiest woman.
Clinigen based at Burton Centrum 100 business park also makes the cut on the same list, with owners Andrew and Linda Leaver coming in at 18 on the West Midlands list, with a net worth of £225 million.
Owners of newly-relegated Stoke City Football Club Denise, John and Peter Coates are number two on the list with £5.754 billion, followed by third on the list JCB chairman Lord Bamford, who was last year's biggest political Tory donor, coming in with a wealth of £3.6 billion.
On to the East Midlands list is Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley coming in at £2.437 billion.
He is closely followed by Swadlincote's John Bloor, of Bloor Investments - parent company of Measham-based Bloor Homes and Triumph Motorcycles.
The firm has reported soaring profits and revenue, coming in at £1.858 billion. Mr Bloor started out as a plasterer.
Bloor Homes is building houses at a rate of more than 2,000 a year.
Meanwhile, a new entry onto the list this year, ranked 23rd in the West Midlands Rich List, is Michael and Kenny Bruce, with a fortune of £190 million.
The brothers first registered the domain name Purplebricks.com only six years ago. Since then they have created a £1 billion business that is changing the way people sell their homes.
Robert Watts, the compiler of The Sunday Times Rich List, said: “The Midlands is the engine room of Britain’s economy so it’s no surprise to see tycoons like Lord Bamford from the manufacturing world feature prominently in the region’s Rich List.
“Many of these entrepreneurs enjoyed a ‘Brexit dividend’ with the weaker pound making their products cheaper to exporters.
“But over our 30 editions we’ve seen more and more diversity in how these entrepreneurs make their money and our Midlands Rich List epitomises that change, with vast fortunes now being made from mobile phones, online gambling and even selling chickens.”
The West Midlands Rich List (top 20):
1. Ernesto and Kirsty Bertarelli £9.659bn Ernesto Bertarelli’s family sold their biotech business Serono for $13.3bn in 2006, netting the family $8.6bn. Mr Bertarelli has furthered the family fortune by investing in the Swiss pharma businesses, Santhera and Stallergenes Greer. He has also diversified into other sectors.
2. Denise, John and Peter Coates £5.754bn The owners of newly-relegated Stoke City
3. Lord Bamford and family £3.6bn JCB chairman
4. John Caudwell £1.566bn
5. Tony Murray and family £1.225bn
6. Lord Edmiston £1.04bn
7. Steve Morgan £942m
8. Tony Gallagher £850m
9. Ranjit and Baljinder Boparan £746m
10. Sir Peter Rigby £625m
11. Caspar MacDonald-Hall and family £610m
12. Roy Richardson and family £470m
13. Thomas Hartland-Mackie and family £469m
14. Richard Harpin £458m
15. Geoff Wilding £285m
16. Paul Newey £241m
17. Andrew Thorpe and family £228m
18. Andrew and Linda Leaver, of Clinigen £225m
19. Keith Bradshaw and family £218m
20. Simon Clarke and family £212m
East Midlands rich list (top 20):
1. Mike Ashley £2.437bn
2. John Bloor £1.858bn
3. Tony Langley £1.345bn
4. Will Adderley and family £1.2bn
5. The Duke of Devonshire £880m
6. Freddie Linnett and the Murphy family £720m
7. David Ross £700m
8. David Wilson and family £603m
9. Sir David Samworth and family £590m
10. John Kirkland and family £530m
11. = Michael Cornish and family £500m
11. = Mel Morris £500m
13. Leon Max £410m
14. William Parente and family £348m
15. Robin Faccenda and family £330m
16. Lord Heseltine and family £315m
17. Sir Harry Djanogly and family £300m
18. Max and Stephen Griggs £264m
19. = David Clowes £252m
19. = Lisa and Tony Wilkinson and family £252m
