I am sure it is an interest but really.....................he is a busy man
Ineos is a giant in the petro-chemical world, employing over 25,000 people in 36 businesses across 184 sites in 31 countries. In recent years, Ratcliffe has thrown his money and time behind numerous sporting codes and events including the Ineos Grenadiers professional cycling team, New Zealand’s all-conquering All Blacks rugby union team and, of course, the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team.
Ratcliffe is also a keen runner and Ineos was behind marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge’s successful attempt to break the two-hour barrier in the marathon distance in 2019. As a marathon runner myself, it was at this event in Vienna that I briefly met Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and his passion for ideas outside of the box was immediately apparent. While Ineos has been accused of sport-washing its primary business, Ratcliffe is passionately involved in many social and, indeed, environmental causes. One such example was the company’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, when it established six production facilities (each in under 10 days) to make and bottle hand sanitiser. Millions of bottles of sanitiser were then supplied free of charge to hospitals around the world.
