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In this year's Insider Media Rich List for Yorkshire, many of the individuals making the most money have self-made backgrounds, often starting from modest beginnings.
For instance, Paul Sykes, who developed Meadowhall, left school without any qualifications. Similarly, Steve Parkin was a coal miner before he founded the logistics company Clipper.
Graham Kirkham, adopted as a baby, didn't do well in school and couldn't become an RAF pilot. So instead, he entered the furniture industry and made a fortune with the sofa retailer DFS.
Some of these successful individuals also continue to work well into their later years, like Malcolm Healey, who launched Wren Kitchens in his mid-60s.
Wren Kitchens generated £1.1 billion in revenue last year, and now employs over 7,100 people, creating numerous jobs in the region.
Wren also made a significant contribution to the economy, paying over £17 million in corporation tax and an additional £20 million in employers' National Insurance last year, along with millions more in various other taxes.
As we round out 2024, here are the richest people in the region and how they made their success.
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13. Roderick Evans, 62 (£462m)
Evans Property Group has recently unveiled plans for a new 140-room hotel in York. Leeds-based Evans develops, manages and owns property projects ranging from hotels and offices to logistics hubs, civic buildings, log cabins, and university colleges. Roderick Evans is the grandson of founder Fred Evans. The family’s property portfolio typically generates rent of more than £25m a year and includes Leeds’ White Rose Shopping Centre | YPN
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14. Terry Bramall, 81 (£428m)
Bramall and his wife Liz are among the region’s most prolific philanthropists. Their foundation last year made grants of more than £5.4m. Local beneficiaries included the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Leeds Sea Cadets and Opera North. The pair’s fortune stems from Keepmoat, a construction company set up by Terry’s father. Terry is the owner of Doncaster Rovers and has ploughed millions of pounds into the League Two club | NationalWorld
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15. Peter Wilkinson, 70 (£400m)
Wilkinson earlier this year sold his patient monitoring firm, Inhealthcare, to a Californian firm. The Harrogate-based business provides remote monitoring and virtual wards to support the treatment of more than four million patients. Wilkinson made earlier fortunes from setting up and selling the internet service providers Planet Online and Freeserve | NationalWorld
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16. Frank Hester, 58 (£395m)
Hester has given more than £20m to the Tories over the past two years. The Leeds-based IT entrepreneur, who grew up in Armley to Irish immigrant parents, also found himself apologising for historic unsavoury comments he was alleged to have made about Diane Abbott, the Labour MP. Profits at his TPP Group, fell by more than 20% to £28.3m | NationalWorld