Aberdeen Rich List 2025
Aberdeens Richest - GROUP 13
GROUP 13
28. Shaun Ross – Founder of Metrol Technology (Photo Unavailable)
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Net Worth Estimated at £90 Million
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Shaun Ross, aged 66, is the visionary founder behind Metrol Technology established in 1995. Initially, Metrol specialized in high-pressure, high-temperature oil well testing for major oil and gas industry clients.
In 2001, Metrol made a breakthrough by developing one of the world's first wireless communication systems for oil wells, capable of remotely controlling subsea valves and equipment located at the bottom of deep wells. This innovation paved the way for further advancements in Fly-by-Wire technology for controlling remote subsea oilfield equipment—a significant milestone in offshore oil and gas automation.
Metrol Technology rarely sells its advanced systems. Instead, it operates on a highly profitable equipment rental model. This unique approach has proven extremely lucrative: in 2022, the company reported global sales of £37 million, with a remarkable gross profit of £29 million.
Beyond energy tech, Shaun Ross’s business portfolio spans a wide array of industries. He holds significant interests in the film industry, with affiliations to Bankside Films, Headgear Films, and Kreo Films Corporation.
22. Sir Jim Milne – Balmoral Group | Hotelier | Property
Estimated Wealth: £158m
Sir Jim Milne founded the Balmoral Group in 1980 with just five employees, initially focused on designing and manufacturing glass-reinforced plastic products. Today, the company is a global force, employing over 1,000 people and delivering engineering and manufacturing solutions to the subsea, renewable energy, civil, and environmental sectors.
The son of a farmer, Jim was raised on land that now houses Balmoral’s headquarters in Aberdeen. His success has expanded well beyond engineering—he owns a significant property portfolio, including commercial developments in Altens, Aberdeen. In 2024, he added the prestigious Marcliffe Hotel to his holdings.
His personal journey has been marked by tragedy. After losing his wife Jill to cancer when their daughters were just 3 and 8, Jim was driven by a deep desire to create a better life for his family. Now aged 85, he remains actively involved in business, showing no signs of slowing down.
20. Tom Cross – Oil & Gas | Parkmeade Group
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Estimated Wealth: £160m
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Tom Cross is one of Scotland’s most successful oil executives, best known as the founder of Dana Petroleum plc. A First-Class Engineering graduate from Exeter University, Tom began his career in senior roles with companies such as Conoco, Thomson North Sea, Louisiana Land and Exploration, and served as Director of Engineering at the UK Petroleum Science and Technology Institute.
His breakthrough came after a bold venture into Western Siberia, where few dared to operate. Under his leadership, Dana drilled over 20 successful wells, many costing under $10,000 each. Dana's strategic partnership with Russian oil giant Lukoil accelerated its growth, and the company soared to revenues of £500 million with annual profits exceeding £96 million. In 2010, Tom sold Dana to Korea National Oil Corporation in a landmark $1.7 billion deal.
He later acquired the historic Midmar Castle—along with 185 acres of land—for £3 million and built an extensive property portfolio across North-East Scotland. In 2009, he was Scotland’s highest-paid company director, earning a staggering £18 million.
Today, Tom leads the Parkmeade Group, which is expanding into renewable energy, continuing his legacy of innovation and strategic vision in the energy sector.
56. Steve Mackie – Prosource – I.T. Software and Corporate I.T. Services
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50. Estimated Wealth £22 Million
Steve Mackie is the co-founding director of Prosource, a leading provider of I.T. software and technology services to major banks and corporate clients across the UK. He established Prosource in 1999 alongside business partner Stewart Proctor, another name on the Aberdeen Rich List.
A graduate of Computing Science from Aberdeen University in 1987, Steve Mackie built his career from the ground up, starting as an I.T. technician before moving into project management. His deep technical expertise and leadership helped shape Prosource into a highly respected name in the UK tech industry.
Beyond the boardroom, Steve Mackie is a passionate motorsport enthusiast. At his direction, Prosource sponsored several professional racing teams, including those competing in GP2, the renowned feeder series to Formula 1.
Today, after more than two decades in the technology sector, Steve Mackie holds a senior executive role, overseeing compliance and strategic governance at Prosource. His personal wealth, estimated at £22 million, reflects both his success in I.T. services and long-term business leadership.
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
28
Shaun Ross – Founder of Metrol Technology (Photo Unavailable)
£90M
22
Sir Jim Milne – Balmoral Group | Hotelier | Property
£158M
20
Tom Cross – Oil & Gas | Parkmeade Group
£160M
56
Steve Mackie – Prosource – I.T. Software and Corporate I.T. Services
£22M
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
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Billionaire industrialist Sir Ian Wood stands as the wealthiest homegrown founder of a company in Scotland.
When he stepped down from the helm in 2013, his creation—Wood Group plc—had grown into a global powerhouse valued at $12 billion, operating in more than 60 countries, employing 60,000 people, and elevating his personal fortune to over £2 billion.
A figure both formidable and fiercely debated, Sir Ian Wood’s life unfolds as an extraordinary saga—one marked by relentless effort, unwavering determination, profound personal sacrifice, moments of tragedy, brushes with disaster, and the darker currents of betrayal, greed, immense wealth, and influence.B
eginning with his family’s modest fishing-boat repair business in 1967, he boldly steered the company into the emerging world of oil and gas just as the industry reached Britain’s shores in the 1970s. From there, he built a sprawling empire that touched shipping, energy, fishing, technology, travel, electronics, power generation, offshore drilling, and property development. His leadership oversaw the most dramatic industrial transformation Aberdeen had ever seen.
Now, for the first time, the story long hidden behind closed doors is revealed. This is an explosive, deeply revealing journey into the sometimes shadowy, often ruthless, yet undeniably electrifying world of the Aberdeen oil and gas sector—its power brokers, its high-stakes decisions, and the man whose influence shaped an era.
Sir Ian’s real-life ascent makes HBO’s Succession seem like little more than a gentle bedtime tale.His achievements stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the greatest entrepreneurs in any industry, at any point in history.