Ian Livingstone (property developer)
| Ian Livingstone | |
|---|---|
| Born |
22 May 1962 UK |
| Residence | London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | St Paul's School, London |
| Alma mater | City University London |
| Occupation | Co-owner, London & Regional Properties |
| Net worth | £2.6 billion (May 2014)[1] |
| Spouse(s) | Natalie Livingstone |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Richard Livingstone (brother) |
Ian Livingstone (born 22 May 1962)[2] is a British billionaire property developer, through the privately held London & Regional Properties, owned jointly with his brother Richard Livingstone.
Early life
Ian Livingstone was born in the UK, the son of a dentist in Ealing, London. He was educated at St Paul's School, a leading private school.[3][4] He attended City University London, where he received a bachelor's degree in Optometry and qualified as an optometrist in 1984.[2][4]
Career
He served as the Chairman and majority shareholder of the Optika Clulow Group, a retail chain which owned 170 optician stores, including David Clulow, Sunglass Hut, Harrods and Selfridges opticians, from 1990 to 2010.[4] Another major shareholder was his brother Richard Livingstone, a surveyor.[1] The brothers sold the retail chain in 2011 and are now primarily property developers.[1]
He has served as the co-Executive Chairman of London & Regional Properties with his brother since 1993.[4][5] Through this holding company, they own David Lloyd Leisure and luxury hotels including Cliveden House in Berkshire, Hilton Hotels in London’s Green Park and Park Lane.[5] They redeveloped Marks & Spencer's former headquarters at 55 Baker Street, which now houses the offices of Knight Frank, the accountant BDO Stoy Hayward, and London & Regional itself.[5]
In 2012, it was reported that the Livingstone brothers were submitting plans for a £600 million project by London's Waterloo Station, that would involve the demolition of the 1960s office block, Elizabeth House, and replacing it with two towers, one of 29 storeys and the other of 10 storeys.[6] The previous plan for three towers had been approved by London mayor Boris Johnson but rejected by the British government in 2009.[6]
As of 2015, together with Jaime Gilinski Bacal, they are developing the $700 million Panama Pacifico project in Panama City, Panama on the former Howard Air Force Base.[3] He also serves on the Board of Trustees of The Mayor's Fund for London.[4] In the 2014 Sunday Times Rich List, together with his brother Richard, they have an estimated net worth of £2.6 billion.[1]
Personal life
He is married to Natalie, a Cambridge-educated journalist who works for Tatler and the gossip magazine OK!.[3] They have two daughters. In 2011, they paid an estimated £20 million for a house in Notting Hill previously owned by the PR executive Matthew Freud and his wife, Elisabeth Murdoch, daughter of Rupert Murdoch.[3]
The Evening Standard notes that Ian and Richard Livingstone are eager to avoid publicity and seek to lead a normal life for the sake of their children, and calls them "arguably the lowest-profile billionaire siblings in London" and "these most secretive of brothers".[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Rich List 2014 (page 24)". Sunday Times. 18 May 2014.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Ian Livingstone". Questex Hospitality+Travel Group. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Prynn and Bar-Hillel, Jonathan and Mira (29 March 2012). "London brothers behind a £4 billion secret empire". Evening Standard. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 The Mayor's Fund for London: Board of Trustees
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Ruddick, Graham (31 October 2012). "Ian and Richard Livingstone pay themselves £124m dividend". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lydall, Ross (2 April 2012). "Grand entrance for Waterloo as ‘ugly sisters’ exit". Evening Standard. Retrieved 8 March 2015.