Sunderland's Dame Irene Hays makes debut on Sunday Times Rich List as 2024 names revealed

The Sunday Times Rich List 2024 has been revealed - with Dame Irene Hays flying the flag for Sunderland success.

Released annually,  the list is the definitive guide to wealth in the UK and charts the fortunes of the 350 richest people in the UK.

The list is based on identifiable wealth, including land, property, other assets such as art and racehorses, or significant shares in publicly quoted companies. However, it excludes bank accounts, to which the newspaper has no access.

Dame Irene and family, of Hays Travel, which has its headquarters in Keel Square, come in at No 324 in the country with a worth of £400million, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Mick Jagger at No 315 and David and Victoria Beckham at No 297.

Dame Irene built her careers in Sunderland and South Tyneside local authorities, where she was Chief Executive of both before moving to work in Whitehall as Director General for Local Government. 

Always passionate about her North East roots, Dame Irene has been chair of the Hays Travel Group since 2009, and was co-owner with her late husband, John, who founded Hays Travel in 1980.

Now the UK’s largest Independent Travel Agent, Dame Irene was instrumental in the growth of the company and the pair have been hailed as “heroes of the high street.”

Other North East inclusions in the list, which is available online at https://www.thetimes.co.uk/sunday-times-rich-list and in print on Sunday, May 19, is David and Simon Reuben who are the richest in the region.

Co-owners of Newcastle United, who made their money in metals trading and at one point controlled 5 per cent of the world’s aluminium output, they have a combined wealth of almost £25billion and are No 3 in the national list.

Other North East inclusions are Dame Margaret and Helen Barbour, who own South Tyneside-based Barbour, with a wealth of £537million.

Middlesbrough chairman and owner of logistics company Bulkhaul reenters the list with a £640million fortune at No 253.

Elsewhere in the region, owner of Fenwick department stores, Mark Fenwick and family, also makes the list at No 278, with a wealth of £526million.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Northumberland, whose family seat is at Alnwick Castle, ranks at No 285 with a wealth of £509million.

The 76-page special edition of The Sunday Times Magazine, which hits shops this Sunday, reveals the largest fall in the billionaire count in the guide’s 36-year history, from a peak of 177 in 2022 to 165 this year.

Robert Watts, compiler of the Sunday Times Rich List, said: “This year’s Sunday Times Rich List suggests Britain’s billionaire boom has come to an end. Many of our home-grown entrepreneurs have seen their fortunes fall and some of the global super rich who came here are moving away. 

 “Thousands of British livelihoods rely on the super-rich to some extent. We’ll have to wait and see whether we have now reached peak billionaire, and what that means for our economy. 

 “These may be harder times to create wealth, but The Sunday Times Rich List continues to unearth entrepreneurs building fortunes in diverse and often surprising ways. This year’s new entries include people who have made money from artificial intelligence and virtual worlds as well as plumbing supplies and teaching aides.  

 “We know many of our readers find such people — especially those from humbler backgrounds — very inspiring.”