Jonathan Ruffer

Jonathan Ruffer was born on 17 August 1951 in London, England, to Major John Edward Maurice Ruffer (1912-2010) and Dorothy ("Dodo") Margaret Willan (1919-1998). Ruffer lived from an early age in Stokesley, North Yorkshire, England.[http://www.debretts.com/people-of-today/profile/3229/Jonathan-Garnier-RUFFER Jonathan Garnier Ruffer] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426002916/http://www.debretts.com/people-of-today/profile/3229/Jonathan-Garnier-RUFFER |date=26 April 2015 }}, Debrett's[http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/business/business-news/ruffer-llp-pays-member-of-firm-18m-1-7023126 Ruffer LLP pays member of firm £18m], Yorkshire Post, 28 December 2014[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-16705295 Millionaire Jonathan Ruffer pledges to tackle deprivation], BBC, 25 January 2012 He was educated at Aysgarth School and Marlborough College, a public school in Marlborough, Wiltshire.{{cite news|last1=Sedgwick|first1=Phillip|title=Unlikely head has no regrets|url=http://www.darlingtonandstocktontimes.co.uk/news/13356709.Unlikely_head_has_no_regrets/|access-date=21 February 2018|work=Darlington and Stockton Times|date=21 April 2015}} He graduated from Sidney Sussex College, a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, in 1972.{{cite web|url=https://www.dur.ac.uk/st-johns.college/research/fellows/jonathanruffer/|title=St John's College : Jonathan Ruffer |publisher=Durham University|accessdate=5 February 2018}}

Ruffer started as a stockbroker, before becoming a barrister.{{cite news|title=Sunday Times Rich List|work=The Sunday Times|issue=42|date=18 May 2014|issn=0956-1382}} He is now a Bencher of the Middle Temple. He worked in corporate finance for Schroders, an accepting house bank.[https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=6958642&privcapId=32624876&previousCapId=10837322&previousTitle=Ruffer%20LLP Jonathan Ruffer], Bloomberg Business He worked for Dunbar, a private bank,Philip Beresford, [http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/news/1318633%20 Britain's Top 100 Entrepreneurs 2014: No. 10 – Jonathan Ruffer, Ruffer Management: The investment entrepreneur is worth £380m.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304074008/http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/news/1318633%20 |date=4 March 2016 }}, Management Today, 26 October 2014 from 1980 to 1985. He was also on the board of directors of one of its subsidiaries, Dunbar Fund Management, from 1981 to 1985. He was then on the board of CFS (renamed Rathbone plc) from 1985 to 1994. He was on the board of Odey Asset Management, founded by Crispin Odey, from 1992 to 2005; Fuel Tech from 1994 to 1998; and Electric & General Investment Trust from 2001 to 2011.

In 1994, he co-founded Ruffer Investment Management Limited, an investment management firm with Robert Shirley, 14th Earl Ferrers (then Viscount Tamworth) and Jane Tufnell.Julia Rampen, [http://www.investmentweek.co.uk/investment-week/news/2338141/ruffer-co-founder-steps-down Ruffer co-founder steps down], Investment Week, 4 April 2014 The firm was renamed Ruffer LLP in 2004 and is now based at 80 Victoria Street in London.{{cite web|url=http://www.ruffer.co.uk/#contact|title=Investment Funds - Investment Management - London, Edinburgh, Guernsey - UK - Ruffer|website=ruffer.co.uk|accessdate=5 February 2018}} Ruffer was its chief executive officer from 1994 to 2012 and has been its chairman since 2011. The firm managed £15.4 billion on behalf of its clients in 2012–2013. In 2014, it had 199 employees, and additional offices in Edinburgh and Hong Kong.Katie Holliday, [http://www.investmentweek.co.uk/investment-week/news/2166947/jonathan-ruffer-steps-ruffer-investments Jonathan Ruffer steps back from Ruffer Investments], Investment Week, 11 April 2012

He is a research fellow at St John's College, Durham. He has published articles in The Spectator.{{cite web|url=http://www.spectator.co.uk/author/jonathan-ruffer/|title=Author: Jonathan Ruffer - The Spectator|website=The Spectator|accessdate=5 February 2018}}

Ruffer credits William Rathbone VI as a source of inspiration for his philanthropy.A N Wilson, [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/57d38f48-6421-11e4-8ade-00144feabdc0.html Man on a mission: Jonathan Ruffer and the Auckland Castle Trust], Financial Times, 7 November 2014 He believes nobody needs more than £20 million. However, he is critical of William Temple's Christian socialism.

He served as the chairman of the Good Shepherd Mission in Bethnal Green from 1998 to 2008. He has also supported the Church Urban Fund.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-16705295|title=Millionaire Jonathan Ruffer pledges to tackle deprivation |publisher=BBC|access-date=2020-04-01|language=en-GB}}

File:Auckland Castle Crop.jpg in Bishop Auckland, County Durham.]]

He expressed an interest in reviving County Durham through philanthropy in 2012. That same year, he donated £1 million to the Durham Foundation.[http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/jonathan-ruffer-donates-1m-donation-4403237 Jonathan Ruffer donates £1m donation to Durham foundation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160215183640/http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/jonathan-ruffer-donates-1m-donation-4403237 |date=15 February 2016 }}, The Journal, 7 September 2012 A year later, in 2013, he donated £15 million to preserve Auckland Castle, the historical palace of the Bishop of Durham, through the Auckland Castle Trust,Charles Moore, [https://web.archive.org/web/20130624043104/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/10062215/The-great-Auckland-Castle-rescue.html The great Auckland Castle rescue], The Daily Telegraph, 18 May 2013 of which he is the chair.{{cite web|url=http://aucklandcastle.org/the-trust|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708014351/http://aucklandcastle.org/the-trust|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 July 2014|title=Auckland Castle|website=Auckland Castle|accessdate=5 February 2018}}[http://www.heritageexchange.co.uk/content/jonathan-ruffer Heritage Exchange 2014: Jonathan Ruffer] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415105037/http://www.heritageexchange.co.uk/content/jonathan-ruffer |date=15 April 2015 }} This included the preservation of 12 paintings by Francisco de Zurbarán, present in the palace since 1756.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12913686 Francisco Zurbaran paintings saved by £15m donation], BBC, 31 March 2011 In 2013, he donated £18 million to restore the Bishop's Palace and create a museum on the history of Christianity and faith in Britain, which had been expected to open in 2018.

The restoration project was completed in 2019 and the Castle was scheduled to re-open to visitors in November;{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2019/oct/25/auckland-castle-durham-to-open-after-restoration|title=Auckland Castle in Durham to open to public after £12.4m restoration|work=The Guardian|date=25 October 2019|accessdate=28 October 2019}}{{Cite news|last1=Simpson|first1=Harriet Agerholm, Emma|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-51648556|title=The multimillionaire's plan to reinvent a town|date=2020-03-03|work=BBC News|access-date=2020-03-04|last2=Palumbo|first2=Daniele|language=en-GB}} three new restaurants for visitors were added, with one in operation by early November 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tees-49663538|title=Auckland Castle to re-open after multimillion-pound restoration|publisher=BBC|date=11 September 2019|accessdate=28 October 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.aucklandproject.org/eat-and-shop/|title=Eat & shop|publisher=The Auckland Project|accessdate=28 October 2019|archive-date=28 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728231408/https://www.aucklandproject.org/eat-and-shop/|url-status=dead}} Nonetheless, the Scotland Wing still houses the offices of the Bishop of Durham.{{cite web|url=https://www.aucklandproject.org/the-bishops-of-durham-through-time/|title=The Bishops of Durham Through Time|publisher=The Auckland Project|accessdate=28 October 2019|archive-date=28 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191028142255/https://www.aucklandproject.org/the-bishops-of-durham-through-time/|url-status=dead}} In 2019, he worked with Sotheby's James Macdonald (an expert on the Spanish school) to assemble a collection displayed at the Spanish Gallery.{{Cite news|last=Gates|first=Anita|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/17/arts/private-sales-offer-art-for-a-few-eyes-only.html|title=Private Sales Offer Art for a Few Eyes Only|date=2018-04-17|work=The New York Times|access-date=2020-03-04|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}

In 2014, Ruffer donated the endowment to create Kynren, a night show telling the history of England, in nearby Bishop Auckland to aid in wider regeneration.[http://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2014-04-03/benefactor-plans-theme-park-for-bishop-auckland/ Benefactor plans theme park for Bishop Auckland], ITV, 3 April 2014

He has endowed the Jonathan Ruffer curatorial grants at The Art Fund, which give £75,000 to curators every year.{{cite web|url=http://www.artfund.org/supporting-museums/jonathan-ruffer-curatorial-grants|title=Jonathan Ruffer curatorial grants|first=Art|last=Fund|website=artfund.org|accessdate=5 February 2018}}

Ruffer collects Spanish old masters, which can be viewed in the Spanish Gallery in Bishop Auckland which opened in 2021. The Gallery contains works by El Greco, Murillo, and Juan Bautista Maíno, among others. He also owns paintings by Thomas Gainsborough.{{Cite web|last=Whetstone|first=David|date=2019-06-20|title=One of the most beautiful settings imaginable for an exhibition like this|url=https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/one-most-beautiful-settings-imaginable-16451350|access-date=2020-07-18|website=nechronicle}}

File:Isaac Henrique Sequeira (Gainsborough).jpg, by Thomas Gainsborough.
Museo del Prado, Madrid.]]

Ruffer is married to Jane Sequeira, a doctor, and palliative care specialist.{{cite web|url=http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/8979806.Zurbarans____trustees_revealed_by_owner/|title=Zurbarans' trustees revealed by owner|website=The Northern Echo|date=18 April 2011 |accessdate=5 February 2018}} They have a daughter. While he is a great-grandson of Maurice Ruffer (1857-1935), a French-born British banker, she is a descendant of Isaac Henrique Sequeira (1738-1816), a Portuguese Jewish doctor, who was painted by Thomas Gainsborough, one of his patients, and that oil painting now hangs in Madrid's Museo del Prado.{{cite news|url=https://elpais.com/diario/2011/04/24/cultura/1303596003_850215.html|title=Reportaje - El salvador de los 'zurbarán'|date=24 April 2011|accessdate=5 February 2018|work=El País|last1=Galán |first1=Lola }}{{cite web|url=https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/isaac-henrique-sequeira/8a1936f6-a7d8-4c00-b9a5-6bb1a99df911|title=Isaac Henrique Sequeira - The Collection - Museo Nacional del Prado|website=museodelprado.es|accessdate=5 February 2018}}

An Anglican, he has been described by the Financial Times as "a committed evangelical Christian" and The Yorkshire Post as "a devout Christian." He is a member of the Athenaeum Club and the Beefsteak Club.

As of 2014, he had an estimated wealth of £380 million. As of 2020, Ruffer was worth £159 million according to the Sunday Times Rich List.{{Cite news|last=Times|first=The Sunday|title=Rich List 2020: profiles 703-799=, featuring Eric Clapton and Rory McIlroy|newspaper=The Times |language=en|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/rich-list-2020-profiles-703-799-featuring-eric-clapton-and-rory-mcilroy-rj8cv08vw|access-date=2020-07-28|issn=0140-0460}}

Ruffer gave an estimated £160 million to the development of Bishop Auckland in 2020. In 2025, The Daily Telegraph reported that he had given at least £200 million to the Auckland Project to develop the town.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/united-kingdom/bishop-auckland-jonathan-ruffer/ |title=A wealthy Christian spent £200m reviving this northern town – but not everyone is happy |last=Miles |first=Paul |website=The Telegraph |location=London |url-access=subscription |date=12 April 2025 |access-date=12 April 2025}}

Ruffer purchased Auckland Castle to save the collection of paintings by Zurbarán, that were going to be sold.

Ruffer has since opened: the Mining Art Gallery (to showcase local miners' work), the Northern Museum of Archaeological Importance, the Spanish Gallery, the Auckland Tower, the Auckland Project, the Auckland Castle, Kynren, the Deer Park, Eleven Arches, and most recently Weardale Railway which will provide a direct link from Killhope Lead Mining Museum to Bishop Auckland.{{Citation needed|date=May 2023}}

• The Big Shots (1977).
• Babel, the Breaking of the Banks (2009)

{{Reflist|30em}}

• [http://www.aucklandcastle.org Auckland Castle] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190428122638/http://www.aucklandcastle.org/ |date=28 April 2019 }}
• [http://elevenarches.org/ Kynren at Eleven Arches]
• [https://www.ruffer.co.uk/ Ruffer]

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Category:Living people

Category:1951 births

Category:People from Hambleton District

Category:Art collectors from London

Category:People educated at Marlborough College

Category:Alumni of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge

Category:Deputy lieutenants of Durham

Category:British hedge fund managers

Category:English financial businesspeople

Category:British corporate directors

Category:British writers

Category:English philanthropists

Category:Academics of Durham University

Category:Schroders people

Category:People educated at Aysgarth School