David and Simon Reuben

David Reuben (born 1941) and Simon Reuben (born 1944) are British businessmen and philanthropists. In the Forbes magazine List of billionaires 2013, ranking of the wealthiest people in the UK, the brothers were placed second.

Early life and career

The brothers were born in Bombay, India to a prosperous Iraqi Jewish family. The family, which had lived in British India since the mid-1800s with other fellow Jews such as Baron Kadoorie (the father of Sir Michael Kadoorie), the Sassoon family and many other Jewish families. The brothers emigrated to the UK in the early 1950s, and the family had run various businesses across the Indian Subcontinent from their base in Bombay and Baghdad. The family arrived in London when the boys were teenagers with many other Iraqi Jews, who settled in London and Tel-Aviv during the 1950s after the creation of Israel in 1948.

The brothers increased their fortune during the 1970s and 1980s in both metals trading and property. Nearly half their fortune is in liquid assets such as cash and bonds. They avoid publicity, but provide some details about their interests on their personal website.

Reuben Brothers

Reuben Brothers refers to the business interests of David and Simon Reuben. Reuben Brothers has various international departments and companies, headquartered in Switzerland its main activities are in real estate, private equity, and venture capitalism.

Background

Reuben Brothers who migrated to the UK soon after the creation of Israel in 1948. They began new business activities and later they set up a family company for holding assets in the Russian metals market during the 1980s and 1990s. Through those activities, they accumulated substantial amounts of capital, and at one point were the world's largest aluminium company.

Present activities

By 2000, the Russian business environment was turning sour for them and they sold all their Russian assets and focused their business activities mainly in the UK property market, where they have a substantial portfolio of debt-free assets. With others, they have been involved in financing a number of major acquisitions and also have investments in technology companies.