Jim Ratcliffe MSc13(1980)
Chairman and CEO, Ineos Chemicals Group
Jim Ratcliffe MSc13(1980) was a chartered accountant and worked for Esso before doing an MBA at London Business School. He then spent several years at private equity group Advent International, a period in which he bought his first business. In 1992, with backing from Advent, he co-led the buyout of a chemicals business from BP to form Inspec.
Inspec achieved a 15-fold increase in value within two years, prompting Ratcliffe to lead a management buyout of Inspec's chemicals divisions to create Ineos Group. The company is now one of the world’s top chemical producers, with around 6,500 employees, £10.5 billion in revenue and £8.2 billion worth of assets.
Ratcliffe owns Lime Wood, a luxury hotel in Hampshire, and is a stakeholder in Pig, a boutique hotel chain. He is also an advisory board member at Aberdeen Murray Johnstone Private Equity Fund.
In December 2014, Ratcliffe was named the chemicals sector’s most influential senior executive in the ICIS Chemical Business Top 40 Power Players list. In 2008, he received an honorary fellowship at the Royal Society of Chemistry’s annual Industry and Technology Forum Innovation Awards.
Ratcliffe is a keen sportsman and polar explorer, and founder of charity Go Run for Fun. He received the Alumni Achievement Award in 2014.
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Articles and features
CEOs cannot take their eye off the ball
Ineos founder Jim Ratcliffe on why chief executives have to scrutinise every detail when making acquisitions.
Britain thriving on foreign investment and supply side reform
Business leaders assess UK performance through 50 years of boom and bust.
LBS Campaign exceeds £100 million target and makes Financial Times front page splash
London Business School has today smashed its fundraising target of £100 million in just three years, thanks to a momentous community effort.
Momentous £25 million gift to London Business School from alumnus and INEOS founder Jim Ratcliffe
£25 million donated to secure the School’s future in historic Regent’s Park home.
Roll with the punches
From dealing with worker strikes to navigating the economic downturn, Jim Ratcliffe MSc13(1980) has endured some tough times while heading up Ineos. But the British businessman has a canny ability to emerge stronger after dealing with adversity.
