Meet richest man in UK who lives secret life, no match for Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani, Elon Musk, Bezos, Zuckerberg, his net worth is Rs...

British hedge fund manager Michael Platt has been named the richest person in the UK, with an estimated fortune of £14.3 billion. Despite his immense wealth, Platt remains highly secretive—so much so that even the receptionist at his own company reportedly doesn’t recognise him, according to The Daily Express.

Platt, who co-founded BlueCrest Capital Management in 2000, saw his wealth surge in 2024, moving him from tenth place to the top of the UK’s rich list. He overtook Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the billionaire owner of INEOS and a major shareholder in Manchester United.

However, while Platt is now the wealthiest person in Britain, he ranks 104th on the global rich list. The world's richest individuals continue to be dominated by US tech giants, including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg.

Born in Preston, Lancashire, in 1968, Platt grew up in a working-class family. His passion for investing started early—at just the age of 12. He learned about trading shares from his grandmother. He reportedly turned a £500 birthday gift into a much larger sum.

By the time he was studying mathematics and economics at the London School of Economics, he was already earning up to £30,000 from investments.

After graduating in 1991, Platt joined JP Morgan in New York as a trainee and later became a managing director in London. In 2000, he co-founded BlueCrest Capital Management, which has grown into one of Europe’s largest hedge funds.

Despite his financial success, Platt keeps a very low profile. He avoids publicity and rarely gives interviews. In 2006, when The Times featured BlueCrest, Platt and his co-founder William Reeves refused to be photographed.

Platt also has a competitive edge when it comes to hiring. In the book Hedge Fund Market Wizards, he described his ideal recruit as someone willing to wake up early on a Sunday to play online poker, taking advantage of "US drunks coming home on Saturday night."

In 2015, Platt stopped managing client money to focus on investing his own fortune. His son Marcus, now in his mid-20s, has recently joined BlueCrest.