Richard Farleigh
{{Short description|Australian private investor}}
{{hatnote|For the American convicted murderer, see :Richard Farley.}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2011}}
{{infobox person
| name = Richard Farleigh
| image = Richard Farleigh from Dragons Den at Tup Tup Palace (cropped).jpg
| caption = Richard Farleigh in 2008
| birth_name = Richard Buckland Smith
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1960|11|09|df=y}}
| birth_place = Kyabram, Victoria, Australia
| citizenship = Australian
| alma_mater = University of New South Wales
| website = [http://www.farleigh.com www.farleigh.com]
}}
Richard Bruce Farleigh (born Richard Buckland Smith, 9 November 1960){{cite web |title=Richard Farleigh - Biography |url=https://www.farleigh.com/biography.html |website=farleigh.com |access-date=23 October 2024}} is an Australian private investor and reality television personality. He was a member of the Business Review Weekly Rich 200 list, a list of the 200 wealthiest Australian individuals.{{when|date=October 2024}} Farleigh featured in series 3 and 4 of BBC's Dragons' Den. He currently resides in London, England.
Personal life
He was born Richard Buckland Smith in Kyabram, Victoria, Australia. His foster family gave him the surname Farleigh. He is a sixth generation Australian.{{cite web|url=http://farleigh.com/confessions/322/|title=Honesty is the biggest problem. Honestly.|website=farleigh.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225041908/http://farleigh.com/confessions/322/|archive-date=2021-02-25|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2007/feb/23/2|title=Interview: multimillionaire investor Richard Farleigh|author=Jane Martinson|work=The Guardian|date=23 February 2007 }} His father was a labourer and sheep shearer. His parents sent him and his other siblings to foster homes when he was aged two. He was one of eleven siblings. Richard was taken into foster care by a family from Peakhurst, Sydney. He attended Narwee Boys' High School, played competitive chess, and then won a scholarship to study economics at the University of New South Wales.{{cite web |last1=Hohler |first1=Emily |title=Richard Farleigh: from 'backward' child to top investor |url=https://moneyweek.com/31494/richard-farleigh-from-backward-child-to-top-investor |website=moneyweek.com |language=en |date=22 November 2007}}
After graduating with honours in the early 1980s, he worked at the Reserve Bank of Australia, then joined Bankers Trust Australia in Sydney when 23 as an investment banker and trader, where he stayed for ten years.{{cite web|url=http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancenews/article_1012970.shtml |title=Australian trader turned Business Angel for Delta Index Annual Conference in Dublin |publisher=Finfacts.ie |accessdate=26 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130709053925/https://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancenews/article_1012970.shtml|archive-date=2013-07-09|url-status=dead}}
Between 2012 and 2018 he was Chancellor of London South Bank University.{{cite web |title=South Bank celebration marks Sir Simon Hughes becoming new Chancellor of LSBU |url=https://www.lsbu.ac.uk/about-us/news/celebration-simon-hughes-chancellor |website=London South Bank University |access-date=23 October 2024 |language=English |date=12 November 2018}}
Since 2018, Farleigh has served as a patron of Their Future Today, a charity supporting orphaned and abandoned children in Sri Lanka.{{cite web |title=Our Patrons |url=https://www.theirfuturetoday.org/our-patrons |website=Their Future Today |access-date=23 October 2024 |language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201055917/https://www.theirfuturetoday.org/our-patrons|archive-date=2020-12-01|url-status=live}}
Business
Farleigh left Australia in the nineties.{{cite web|url=http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/business/money/investments/article1015685.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306142534/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/business/money/investments/article1015685.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 March 2014|title=Fame and Fortune: Look down under for potential – The Sunday Times|website=The Sunday Times }} He was then hired to run a hedge fund in Bermuda and moved there with his wife and baby son.{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2007/feb/23/2 | location=London | work=The Guardian | first=Jane | last=Martinson | title=Australian dragon fired up by success | date=22 February 2007}} There, he became friends with David Norwood, a chess grand master, and three years later, he decided to retire, aged 34, and moved to Monte Carlo. He then spent much time with Norwood investigating research from the University of Oxford in the UK that had potential commercial applications. IndexIT was the company formed to fund some of these ventures; it was later sold to Beeson Gregory for £20M. At this time he invested his own capital in British technology companies.{{cite news | last = Kirby | first = James | title = Trade secrets from our man on the Riviera | publisher = The Age | date = 23 April 2006 | url = http://www.theage.com.au/news/business/trade-secrets-from-our-man-on-the-riviera/2006/04/22/1145344320556.html | accessdate = 27 September 2006 | location=Melbourne}}
In 1999, Farleigh invested £2M in the renovation of the old French Embassy mansion in London's Portman Square, turning it into the private members club Home House.[http://www.homehouse.co.uk/ Home House] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009192038/http://www.homehouse.co.uk/ |date=9 October 2016 }}, UK.
In 2005, he published a guide to personal investing entitled Taming the Lion: 100 Secret Strategies for Investing ({{ISBN|1-897597-62-2}}).
The Rich 200 list estimated his personal wealth at around A$160,000,000.{{when|date=October 2024}} He is ranked as the 876th on the Sunday Times Rich List 2006[http://business.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,20590,00.html Sunday Times Rich List 2006] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208092100/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/section/0%2C%2C20590%2C00.html |date= 8 February 2007 }}, Sunday Times with an estimated net worth of £66 million.{{cite web|url=http://www.mediacelebrityservices.co.uk/richard_farleigh.php |title=Media Celebrity Services Ltd – Experts – Richard Farleigh |publisher=Mediacelebrityservices.co.uk |accessdate=26 May 2012}}
Several companies Farleigh invested in include: ClearSpeed, Evolution Group, IP2IPO, Proximagen, Home House and Wolfson Microelectronics.{{cite web|url=http://www.farleigh.com/companies/|title=Companies – Richard Farleigh|work=Richard Farleigh}}
''Dragons' Den''
Farleigh was selected in 2006 and 2007 to appear as an investor on the British version of the business-related TV programme Dragons' Den for the show's third and fourth series. Farleigh said he would be seeking further investments through the show, saying he was looking to "hopefully uncover the next big thing".{{cite news |title=BBC - Press Office - Two New Dragons enter the Den |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/04_april/21/dragons.shtml |work=www.bbc.co.uk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115161059/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/04_april/21/dragons.shtml|archive-date=15 January 2016|access-date=14 May 2006|url-status=live}} It was announced on 21 May 2007 that Richard Farleigh had left the series.{{cite news |last1=Dowell |first1=Ben |title=I'm out: dragon dropped from den |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2007/may/18/bbc.broadcasting1 |access-date=23 October 2024 |work=The Guardian |date=18 May 2007}} He was replaced by James Caan.
Chess
Farleigh played for Bermuda in the 31st Chess Olympiad in Moscow 1994{{cite web|url=http://www.olimpbase.org/1994/1994ber.html|title=31st Chess Olympiad, Moscow 1994, Bermuda|publisher=OlimpBase|accessdate=6 May 2011}} and for Monaco in the 34th Chess Olympiad in Istanbul 2000.{{cite web|url=http://www.olimpbase.org/2000/2000mnc.html|title=34th Chess Olympiad, Istanbul 2000, Monaco|publisher=OlimpBase|accessdate=6 May 2011}}
ABC
In 2014, as part of their series Australian Story, ABC News aired a documentary on Farleigh's life, There But For Fortune.{{cite web |title=There But For Fortune |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-22/there-but-for-fortune/9169936 |website=www.abc.net.au |access-date=23 October 2024 |language=en-AU |date=22 July 2013}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.farleigh.com/}}
- The Telegraph (2006). [https://web.archive.org/web/20060127085808/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2005/11/20/ccprof20.xml Business profile: From swagman to sapphires]. Retrieved 2006-04-23.
- The Times (2007). [https://web.archive.org/web/20110612083054/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article1629531.ece Double blow for UK nanotech company].
- The Telegraph (2007). [https://web.archive.org/web/20080622204200/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/04/11/cnoxonica11.xml Farleigh's Oxonica in legal fight with supplier].
- The Financial Times (2008). [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0f41cfa0-7b9e-11dd-b839-000077b07658.html ‘Dragons’ Den’ chief feels heat in court].
- The Guardian (2008). [https://www.theguardian.com/business/2008/sep/05/pharmaceuticals Court rules against firm backed by former Dragons' Den star].
- {{OlimpBase player|v51x37dh}}
- Business Matters (2010). [http://www.bmmagazine.co.uk/people/604/multi-millionaire-investor-richard-farleigh-talks-about-success-and-failure/ Interview with Richard Farleigh on success & failure in business ].
{{Authority control}}
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Category:Australian chess players
Category:Bermudian chess players
Category:Monegasque chess players
Category:Australian financial analysts
Category:Australian hedge fund managers
Category:Stock and commodity market managers
Category:University of New South Wales alumni
Category:Chess Olympiad competitors
Category:Australian expatriates in Monaco
Category:Australian expatriates in England
Category:People associated with London South Bank University