In this year's Insider Media Rich List for Yorkshire, many of the individuals making the most money have self-made backgrounds, often starting from modest beginnings.
For instance, Paul Sykes, who developed Meadowhall, left school without any qualifications. Similarly, Steve Parkin was a coal miner before he founded the logistics company Clipper.
Graham Kirkham, adopted as a baby, didn't do well in school and couldn't become an RAF pilot. So instead, he entered the furniture industry and made a fortune with the sofa retailer DFS.
Some of these successful individuals also continue to work well into their later years, like Malcolm Healey, who launched Wren Kitchens in his mid-60s.
Wren Kitchens generated £1.1 billion in revenue last year, and now employs over 7,100 people, creating numerous jobs in the region.
Wren also made a significant contribution to the economy, paying over £17 million in corporation tax and an additional £20 million in employers' National Insurance last year, along with millions more in various other taxes.
As we round out 2024, here are the richest people in the region and how they made their success.
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17. John Guthrie, 84 (£389m)
Guthrie’s family’s diversified interests include hydro-electric power assets in Scotland and farms in Poland. There is also a large commercial, industrial and residential property portfolio. But the family is best known for owning the Kent tourist attraction Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. The family’s main company now shows net assets of £372.3m | NationalWorld
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18. Mark Hunter, 62 (£385m)
Hunter set up this Leeds IT consultancy BJSS with Andrew Vincent 30 years ago. His stake is valued at £250m and has delivered a strong run of dividends over the years, including £23.7m over the past year. His real estate company Huggins Property has grown its assets by £19m over the past year and he owns nearly half of craft brewer Ossett Brewery | Chris - stock.adobe.com
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19. John Tordoff, 61 (£360m)
Profits at car dealership group JCT 600 fell by 16.5% to £36m in 2023. John Tordoff is chief executive of the business. His late father Jack set up the operation and the company’s name stems from the number plate of a Mercedes-Benz 600 he owned in the late 1950s. His middle name was Crossley and so his initials were JCT. The Tordoff dealerships should be worth £350m with a run of dividends adding more | NationalWorld