Sunday Times Rich List 2026: Here are the 10 wealthiest people in Scotland - including JK Rowling

Three of the wealthiest people in Scotland. | Getty ImagesNone of these multi-millionaires will be too worried about council tax increases.The 38th edition of the bible of British wealth sees the combined value of the affluent families and individuals rise by 1.4 per cent compared to 2025 to £784 billion.That’s equivalent to a quarter of the UK’s GDP and more than the GDP of Belgium, Sweden or Israel.The list contains 157 billionaires, which is 20 fewer than there were in 2022, and the list’s entry level has dipped by £10 million to ‘just’ £340 million.Meanwhile in Scotland there’s a new entry on the list, with software supremo Paul Hamilton, the CEO of Halo, joining the billionaire ranks.Here are the 10 richest people in Scotland according to the report.The full list can be seen in the Sunday Times published this weekend, or here.Make sure you don't miss a moment of breaking news from across Scotland by signing up to our free newsletter here. 1. Anders Holch Povlsen - £8.287 billion As he did last year, Anders Holch Povlsen tops Scotland's rich list with a fortune of £8.287 billion - up from £7.704 billion last year. That makes him the 23rd richest person in the UK. His fortune comes from the Danish fashion retailer Bestseller which was founded by his father, Troels Holch Povlsen, back in 1975. He has been CEO and sole owner since 2000. He is also the second largest stakeholder in German brand Zalando and the largest shareholder of Asos. He is Scotland's largest private landowner and he calls Aldourie Castle on the shores of Loch Ness home. | Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Ima2. Glenn Gordon and family - The whisky dynasty of Glenn Gordon and family comes secind on the Scottish rich list, with a fortune estimated at £4.745 billion. Based in Jersey, Gordon runs William Grant & Sons, and is the owner of huge global brands including Drambuie, Glenfiddich and Grant’s - making it the third largest producer of Scotch whisky in the world. Gordon, is a descendant of his company’s founder, William Grant, who was born in 1839 and was the first person to market a single malt whisky. It's not all plain saling though, the family's wealth has slumped dramatically since last year, when they were said to be worth £6.398 billion - that's a drop of over £1.6 billion after profits at the spirits company fell by around 30 per cent last year, | Getty Images for Glenfiddich X A3. Sir Ian Wood and family - £1.876 billionThe wealth of Sir Ian Wood and family has decreased very slightly since last year, down from £1.914 billion in 2025 to £1.876 billion this year. He made his money by turning his family fishing business into North Sea oil services firm Wood Group. Born and educated in Aberdeen, Wood established the Wood Foundation, a venture philanthropy body, in 2007 with his family. The foundation works in two broad areas: making markets work for the poor in Africa, and developing young people in Scotland. | Lisa Ferguson4. Lady Philomena Clark and family - £1.733 billionLady Philomena Clark and family - the owners of motor industry giant Arnold Clark - are estimated to be worth £1.733 billion, up slightly on last year. Lady Philomena inherited the company in 2017 from her husband Sir John Arnold Clark who opened his first showroom in Glasgow in 1954 and grew it into the UK's first billionaire-pound car dealership. | John Devlin