A list of Scotland’s richest people shows major Highlands landowner Anders Holch Povlsen has grown his net worth by almost £1 billion in the past year.
The new Sunday Times Rich List 2025 reveals he has retained his position as Scotland’s richest person.
Meanwhile, media and television personality Georgia Toffolo is ranked as the wealthiest person in Scotland under 40, after marrying Brewdog co-founder James Watt earlier this year.
The top entrepreneurs from the Highlands, Moray and Aberdeen have been unveiled ahead of Sunday’s magazine which will list the 350 richest in the UK.
Anders Holch Povlsen
2025 wealth: £7.704bn (up from £6.730bn in 2024)
Fashion billionare Anders Holch Povlsen is Scotland’s largest private landowner, owning more than 220,000 acres of land – including a dozen of Highland estates.
He remains Scotland’s wealthiest man with a fortune of £7.7bn. His home, Aldourie Castle, sits on the shores of Loch Ness.
Anders’ Highland company Wildland Limited posted pre-tax losses of £8.1 million for the year ending July 31 2024.
His wealth stems from the Danish fashion retailer Bestseller, founded by his father, Troels Holch Povlsen, in 1975.
Anders, 52, is now chief executive and sole owner of the business. He also has a stake in the struggling fast-fashion outfit Asos.
He is the 23rd richest person in the UK.
Glenn Gordon and family
2025 wealth: £6.398bn (up from £5.619bn in 2024)
Chairman of Moray-based distiller William Grant and Sons, Glenn Gordon is the second richest person in Scotland.
The family firm owns brands including Glenfiddich and Grant’s whisky, Drambuie, Hendrick’s gin and Sailor Jerry rum.
The Glenfiddich chief has seen a £779m rise of net worth in the past 12 months.
Sir Ian Wood and family
2025 wealth: £1.914bn (up from £1.911bn in 2024)
Aberdeen oil tycoon Sir Ian Wood has seen a slight rise to his fortunes in the past year.
The third wealthiest in Scotland, 80-year-old Sir Ian was born in Aberdeen and is behind Granite City firm Wood, which is currently subject to a takeover bid.
This year, the billionaire picked up the 2025 Significant Contribution Award at the Offshore Achievement Awards (OAAs).
Lord Laidlaw
2025 wealth: £730m (down from £741m in 2024)
Lord Laidlaw is a Keith-born businessman and a former member of the House of Lords who has seen his wealth drop by £11m in the past year.
The founder of the Institute for International Research (IIR), which became the world’s largest conference and training company.
He sold the firm in 2005 for around £770m to Informa Plc and is the 10th wealthiest person on the Sunday Times Scottish list.
Number of billionaire down in Sunday Times Rich List 2025
Georgia Toffolo ranked as the wealthiest person under the age of 40 in Scotland.
The reality TV star has seen her net worth soar as the list values hers, and her husband James Watt, wealth as a couple
The number of billionaires has dropped for three successive years and now sits at 156.
The list of 350 individuals hold a combined wealth of £772.8bn – down by 3% in the 37th edition.
Sunday Times Rich List compiler Robert Watts said: “Our billionaire count is down and the combined wealth of those who feature in our research is falling.
“We are also finding fewer of the world’s super rich are coming to live in the UK.
“Homegrown young tech entrepreneurs and those running centuries-old family firms are also warning of serious consequences to a range of tax changes unveiled in last October’s budget.
“Our research continues to find a wide variety of self-made entrepreneurs building fortunes not just from artificial intelligence, video games and new technologies but also mundane, everyday items such as makeup, radiators and jogging bottoms.”
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