Jonathan Ruffer DL (born 17 August 1951) is a British City investor, art collector and philanthropist.

Early life

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 Stokesley is a market town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It lies within the Historic counties of England, historic county boundaries of the North Riding of Yorkshire, on the River Leven, North Yorkshire, River Leven. An Wards and ...

, North Yorkshire, England.Jonathan Garnier Ruffer
, ''

Debrett's Debrett's () is a British professional coaching company and publisher and authority on etiquette and behaviour, founded in 1769 with the publication of the first edition of ''The New Peerage''. The company takes its name from its founder, John ...

''Ruffer LLP pays member of firm £18m
''Yorkshire Post'', 28 December 2014Millionaire Jonathan Ruffer pledges to tackle deprivation

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, 25 January 2012 He was educated at

Aysgarth School Aysgarth School is an independent day and boarding preparatory school near to the village of Newton-le-Willows, North Yorkshire, England. As the name suggests, it was originally opened in the village of Aysgarth but was moved to Newton-le-Willo ...

and

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English private boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. It was founded as Marlborough School in 1843 by the Dean of Manchester, George ...

, a public school in

Marlborough, Wiltshire Marlborough ( , ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the England, English Counties of England, county of Wiltshire on the A4 road (England), Old Bath Road, the old main road from London to Bath, Somerset, Bath. Th ...

. He graduated from

Sidney Sussex College Sidney Sussex College (historically known as "Sussex College" and today referred to informally as "Sidney") is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England. The College was founded in 1 ...

, a constituent college of the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, in 1972.

Career

Ruffer started as a stockbroker, before becoming a barrister. He is now a Bencher of the Middle Temple. He worked in corporate finance for

Schroders Schroders plc is a British multinational asset management company headquartered in London, England. Founded in 1804, it employs over 6,000 people worldwide in 38 locations around Europe, America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. It is traded on ...

, an accepting house bank.Jonathan Ruffer
''

Bloomberg Business ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'' (and before that ''Business Week'' and ''The Business Week''), is an American monthly business magazine published 12 times a year. The magazine debuted in New York City in Septembe ...

'' He worked for Dunbar, a private bank,Philip Beresford
Britain's Top 100 Entrepreneurs 2014: No. 10 – Jonathan Ruffer, Ruffer Management: The investment entrepreneur is worth £380m.
, ''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 Robin Crispin William Odey (born January 1959)O'Hannelly, Padraig"Investment Greats: Crispin Odey" Motley Fool, 2 October 2009. Retrieved 13 June 2012. is a British hedge fund manager and founder of Odey Asset Management. In June 2023, the '' ...

, 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 Earl Ferrers is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1711 for Robert Shirley, 14th Baron Ferrers of Chartley. The Shirley family descends from George Shirley (died 1622) of Astwell Castle, Northamptonshire. In 1611 he w ...

(then Viscount Tamworth) and Jane Tufnell. The firm was renamed Ruffer LLP in 2004 and is now based at 80 Victoria Street in London. 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 Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

and Hong Kong.Katie Holliday
Jonathan Ruffer steps back from Ruffer Investments
''Investment Week'', 11 April 2012 He is a research fellow at

St John's College, Durham St John's College is one of the Colleges of Durham University#Types of College, recognised colleges of Durham University. The college was established in 1909 as a Church of England theological college and became a full constituent college of th ...

. He has published articles in ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...

''.

Philanthropy

Ruffer credits

William Rathbone VI William Rathbone VI (11 February 1819 – 6 March 1902) was an English merchant and businessman noted for his philanthropic and public work. He was also a Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1868 and 1895. Bac ...

as a source of inspiration for his philanthropy.A N Wilson
Man on a mission: Jonathan Ruffer and the Auckland Castle Trust
''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'', 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 Bethnal Green is an area in London, England, and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in east London and part of the East End of London, East End. The area emerged from the small settlement which developed around the common la ...

from 1998 to 2008. He has also supported the

Church Urban Fund Church Urban Fund is a national charity working with local leaders, churches and other faith groups all over England. Its local partners are committed to serving and strengthening the community where they live. Origins CUF was set up by the C ...

He expressed an interest in reviving County Durham through philanthropy in 2012. That same year, he donated £1 million to the Durham Foundation.Jonathan Ruffer donates £1m donation to Durham foundation
, ''The Journal'', 7 September 2012 A year later, in 2013, he donated £15 million to preserve

Auckland Castle Auckland Castle, also known as Auckland Palace, is a former bishop's palace located in the town of Bishop Auckland in County Durham, England. The castle was a residence of the Bishop of Durham, bishops of Durham from approximately 1183 and was ...

, the historical palace of the

Bishop of Durham The bishop of Durham is head of the diocese of Durham in the province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler (bishop), Paul Butler was the most recent bishop of Durham u ...

, through the Auckland Castle Trust,Charles Moore
The great Auckland Castle rescue
''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'', 18 May 2013 of which he is the chair.Heritage Exchange 2014: Jonathan Ruffer
This included the preservation of 12 paintings by

Francisco de Zurbarán Francisco de Zurbarán ( , ; baptized 7 November 1598 – 27 August 1664) was a Spanish painter. He is known primarily for his religious paintings depicting monks, nuns, and martyrs, and for his still-lifes. Zurbarán gained the nickname "Spanis ...

, present in the palace since 1756. 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; three new restaurants for visitors were added, with one in operation by early November 2019. Nonetheless, the Scotland Wing still houses the offices of the Bishop of Durham. In 2019, he worked with Sotheby's James Macdonald (an expert on the Spanish school) to assemble a collection displayed at the Spanish Gallery. In 2014, Ruffer donated the endowment to create Kynren, a night show telling the history of England, in nearby

Bishop Auckland Bishop Auckland ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the confluence of the River Wear and the River Gaunless in County Durham, England. It is northwest of Darlington and southwest of Durham, England, Durham. M ...

to aid in wider regeneration. He has endowed the Jonathan Ruffer curatorial grants at

The Art Fund Art Fund (formerly the National Art Collections Fund) is an independent membership-based British charity, which raises funds to aid the acquisition of artworks for the nation. It gives grants and acts as a channel for many gifts and bequests, as ...

, which give £75,000 to curators every year.

Art collection

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 Thomas Gainsborough (; 14 May 1727 (baptised) – 2 August 1788) was an English portrait and landscape painter, draughtsman, and printmaker. Along with his rival Sir Joshua Reynolds, he is considered one of the most important British artists o ...

Personal life

Ruffer is married to Jane Sequeira, a doctor, and palliative care specialist. 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

, one of his patients, and that oil painting now hangs in Madrid's

Museo del Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of Art of Europe, European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th ce ...

. An Anglican, he has been described by the ''

'' as "a committed evangelical Christian" and ''

The Yorkshire Post ''The Yorkshire Post'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. It primarily covers stories from Yorkshire, although its masthead carries the slogan "Yorkshire's National Newspaper". It was previously owned by ...

'' as "a devout Christian." He is a member of the Athenaeum Club and the

Beefsteak Club Beefsteak Club is the name or nickname of several 18th- and 19th-century male dining clubs in Britain and Australia that celebrated the beefsteak as a symbol of patriotic and often Whig concepts of liberty and prosperity. The first beefsteak c ...

. 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 The ''Sunday Times Rich List'' is a list of the 1,000 wealthiest people or families resident in the United Kingdom ranked by net wealth. The list is updated annually in April and has been published as a magazine supplement by British national ...

''. Ruffer gave an estimated £160 million to the development of Bishop Auckland in 2020. In 2025, ''

'' reported that he had given at least £200 million to the Auckland Project to develop the town. Ruffer purchased

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 The Weardale Railway is an independently owned British Single track (rail), single-track branch line heritage railway between and Stanhope. The railway began services in July 2004. The line was purchased by the Auckland Project in 2020 with a ...

which will provide a direct link from Killhope Lead Mining Museum to Bishop Auckland.

Bibliography

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

References

External links

Auckland Castle

Kynren at Eleven Arches

Ruffer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruffer, Jonathan Living people 1951 births People from Hambleton District Art collectors from London People educated at Marlborough College Alumni of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Deputy lieutenants of Durham British hedge fund managers English financial businesspeople British corporate directors British writers English philanthropists Academics of Durham University Schroders people People educated at Aysgarth School