Aberdeen Rich List 2025

GROUP 12

 

11. James Watt – BrewDog | Brewing | Beer | Investment

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Estimated Wealth: £300m
 

James Watt, co-founder and former CEO of BrewDog, is by far the most high-profile entrepreneur on this list. Born in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Watt studied Law and Economics at the University of Edinburgh. He shared a flat with childhood friend Martin Dickie, who was studying distilling at Heriot-Watt University. After a brief stint as a trainee solicitor—just two weeks—Watt turned his back on the legal world and returned to the sea, earning his captain’s license and working as a professional fisherman. In his spare time, he began home brewing.

In 2006, Watt and Dickie launched BrewDog from a small shed in Fraserburgh, with Watt stepping into the role of CEO. Just a year later, the duo famously applied to appear on Dragons’ Den—and were rejected. Unfazed, they opened their first bar in Aberdeen in 2009 and pioneered the use of crowdfunding in the drinks industry with their now-famous "Equity for Punks" campaign, raising £2 million from fans to help expand the business.

By 2012, BrewDog had moved brewing operations to a state-of-the-art facility in Ellon, which continues to serve as its global HQ. In 2018, US private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners acquired a 22% stake in the company for £213 million, valuing BrewDog at over £1 billion.

While the company has courted controversy over the years—from marketing tactics to workplace culture—there’s no denying the scale and speed of BrewDog’s success. Under Watt's leadership, it became one of the most recognisable craft beer brands in the world and is arguably the most successful start-up to emerge from Aberdeenshire in the last three decades.

 

1. Glenn Gordon – Whisky – Glenfiddich – Distilling - Inheritance

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Estimated Wealth: £3.1bn

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Glenn Gordon is the great-great-grandson of William Grant, the founder of one of Scotland’s most iconic whisky dynasties. William Grant & Sons Ltd., established in 1887, remains a family-owned powerhouse in the Scotch whisky industry. The company distills some of the world's most famous whiskies, including Glenfiddich, Kininvie, The Balvenie, and Drambuie.

Glenn Gordon served as the Managing Director of William Grant & Sons from 1992 to 1999 and has held the position of Chairman since 2012, following the leadership of Peter Gordon. Under his stewardship, the Glenfiddich brand has become the world's best-selling single malt whisky, with around 2 million cases sold globally each year. Glenn Gordon stands as the wealthiest Scottish-born individual on our list, continuing the legacy of the family business in the whisky world.

 

59. Ean Emslie – Commercial Property Rental

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Estimated Wealth: £19 million
 

You’d be hard-pressed to walk down a street in Aberdeen without spotting an "Ean Emslie To Let" sign. A low-profile figure in the city’s business landscape, Ean Emslie remains somewhat of an enigma—with little public information and no available photo for publication.

Emslie owns over 100 prime retail, office, and shop units across Aberdeen, making him a major player in the Aberdeen commercial property rental market. His roots in real estate go back to the 1950s when his father began investing in disused commercial properties, restoring them to rentable condition and laying the foundation for what would become a vast property portfolio.

Today, Ean lives off the rental income from his extensive commercial property empire and enjoys a luxury home in Marbella, joining a growing list of affluent Aberdonians with high-end residences in Spain.

 

38. Maitland Mackie 3 – Ice Cream & Agribusiness

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Estimated Wealth: £40m
 

Maitland Mackie 3 represents the fourth generation of the Mackie family, continuing a rich legacy that has become synonymous with Scottish ice cream and confectionery. While the current Maitland keeps a low public profile, the story of the Mackie dynasty is among the most fascinating on this list.

The family's roots trace back to Westertown Farm near Turriff, Aberdeenshire, where they began farming in 1912. By the 1930s, they had launched a local milk delivery business, which would lay the foundation for what would become a household brand.

The most notable early figure in the family’s history was Sir Maitland Mackie—also known as Mike Mackie—a knight of the realm and a man of many titles: CBE, KStJ, DL, JP. A farming pioneer, he was the first north of the River Tay to own a combine harvester and helped introduce the use of silage to Scottish dairy farming. He was also an educational innovator, Liberal Party politician, Lord-Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire, and even served as a British ambassador to the U.S., touring North America in the 1950s as an agricultural speaker.

The modern era of the business began in the 1970s, with branded dairy products reaching supermarkets, but it was in 1986 that the Mackie name became iconic with the launch of Mackie’s Ice Cream. Today, the company is a major player in the premium ice cream market, with 2024 sales reaching £22.8 million.

Maitland Mackie II continues to guide the business forward, maintaining its proud family legacy while evolving with the times.

 

Rich List Number

Name

Net Worth

 

44

Ricky Simpson – Bars, Nightclubs, Property

£35M

 

29

Johanna Basford – Publishing & Bestselling Author

£90M

 

19

Leslie Benzies – Rockstar Games Visionary | Grand Theft Auto Creator | Video Game Industry Icon

£178M

 

14

Martin Dickie – BrewDog Co-Founder, Brewing Pioneer

£290M

 

7

Klaas Zwaart – Oil & Gas | Motor Racing | Investments

£560M

 

63

Colin Lawson – Transport Logistics

£18M

 

55

Stewart Proctor – Tech Industry – Motor Racing

£22M

 

50

Dan Millard – Oil & Gas Inspection and Integrity Services

£28M

 

45

Stuart Clarkson – Bars – Property Development

£32M

 

6

Dave Cormack – Software & Football

£600M

 

66

Steve Judge – Space Solutions

£10M

 

58

Considine – The Aberdein Considine Family

£20M

 

47

Eddie Anderson – ARR Craib – Transport and Logistics

£30M

 

43

Adrian Taylor & Family –Taylors Industrial Waste

£35M

 

36

Stewart Milne – Housebuilding | Property Development

£45M

 

41

Robert Kidd – Oil & Gas Rental Equipment – ITS (International Tubular Services)

£36M

 

29

Peter Tait – Fishing

£82m

 

16

Roy Macgregor - Global Energy Group

£360m

 

10

Nicky Walker – Walkers Shortbread | Food & Drink

£320m

 

5

Martin Gilbert – Finance, Investment & Consulting

£700m

 

63

Sandy Clark – Finance Expert | Investment Strategist | Corporate Leader

£8m

 

57

Paul Lawrie – Golf

£19m

 

44

Jimmy Buchan – Fishing & Seafood Supply

£32m

 

39

Ian Dunbar – Kirkwood Homes Founder & House Building Pioneer

£38m

 

33

Marshall Family – Marshall Trailers & Agricultural Innovation

£65M

 

26

Ian Suttie – Property and Oil

£90M

 

12

Douglas Craig – Craig Group | Shipping & Offshore Services

£300M

 

9

Alistair Locke – Abbot Group | Motor Fuel Group | Distilleries

£350M

 

3

Trond Mohn – Framo & One Subsea – Oil & Gas - Inheritance

£1100M

 

35

Andy Bird – Inoapps Founder & Software Development Visionary

£48M

 

65

Mike Straughen – Executive Leadership | Management Expert | Non-Executive Directorships

£10M

 

57

Eric Evans – Oil Services | Media | International Trade

£20M

 

54

Alan Massie – Carlton Rock – Property Developer

£22M

 

40

Jim Geddie – Oil & Gas – Apex Tubulars – Motor Racing

£38M

 

32

Bob Drummond – Hydrasun | D2Zero

£80M

 

23

Tommy Dreelan – Oil & Gas | Motor Racing

£150M

 

54

64. Scott Martin – CEO Glacier Energy – Accountancy MBOs

£10M

 

40

59. Mark Cavanagh – XPD8 and Oil Plus Ltd – Property Investment

£19M

 

32

Alistair Thomson – Fishing Rights | Land Investment | Property Development

£35M

 

23

Malcolm Allan – House Building Entrepreneur

£50M

 

25

John Ray – Rigblast | Property | Oil & Gas Services

£100M

 

62

Derek Nicol & Stephanie Nicol – Nicol of Skene – Civil Engineering

£18M

 

18

Doug Duguid – Oil & Gas Services & Renewables

£180M

 

17

Tony Quinn – Pet Food, Confectionery & Motorsport

£260M

 

11

James Watt – BrewDog | Brewing | Beer | Investment

£300M

 

1

Glenn Gordon – Whisky – Glenfiddich – Distilling - Inheritance

£3100M

 

59

Ean Emslie – Commercial Property Rental

£19M

 

38

Maitland Mackie 3 – Ice Cream & Agribusiness

£40M

 

Shaun Ross – Founder of Metrol Technology (Photo Unavailable)

 

Sir Jim Milne – Balmoral Group | Hotelier | Property

 

Tom Cross – Oil & Gas | Parkmeade Group

 

Steve Mackie – Prosource – I.T. Software and Corporate I.T. Services

 

John Heiton – OEG Group | Oilfield Equipment Rental

 

Robert (Bob) Keiller – Oil & Gas Services | Business Consultancy

 

Larry Kinch – Oil & Gas Exploration

 

George Maxwell – Eland Oil & Gas | Oil & Gas Exploration

 

Doug Milne – MTM Construction – Civil Engineering

 

Alistair Langlands – WOODGROUP – Investments & Directorships

 

Graham Wood – Hotels – Bars – Property Development

 

Michael Freeman – CAN Offshore | Oil & Gas Services

 

Steven Ferguson – Ferguson Group, Oil & Gas Logistics

 

Scotoil Graham Davidson Family

 

Mackintosh Plant Hire – Moira, Suzanne, Albert, Gary, and Moira Mackintosh

 

Graeme Bone – Drum Property Group Founder | Prime Four Developer | UK Commercial Real Estate Visionary

 

Conrad Ritchie & The Ritchie Family

 

John Clark – Car Dealership

 

Sir Ian Wood – Fishing & Oil & Gas – Rig Maintenance – Philanthropy