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- - The winner: Markit Group
- - Most profitable: Winton Capital
- - The biggest: Greenergy
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28 : Winton Capital Management
Sales 2007: £92m
Sales 2004: £9.4m
Annual growth: 114%
Winton Capital is a “managed futures adviser”. Before you glaze over, this is no ordinary investment firm full of brash, city-slicker fund managers. The employees at Winton are researchers, with PhDs in subjects such as theoretical physics and actuarial science. These boffins analyse market trends and establish trading strategies for the likes of Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank, helping them to invest their funds wisely. “If you’re into girls and all-night parties, this probably isn’t your cup of tea,” says 46-year-old David Harding, the entrepreneur at the helm of this London-based firm.
Harding himself admits he’s “no academic”, but he is something of a serial entrepreneur: he owned a couple of hairdressing salons, a karaoke business and hedge fund AHL (which he later sold to the Man Group) before setting up Winton Capital in 1997.
Futures trading might not be very glamorous. But it’s massively profitable. With over £6.4bn of assets under management and sales of £92m, Winton Capital raked in a whopping £59.9m in 2007. Harding likens the business to JK Rowling or Paul McCartney: “We have global appeal. Just as everybody reads books or listens to music, everybody needs to save money. In this business, you can be disgustingly successful – but it’s also disgustingly competitive.” With margins of 65 per cent – making Winton Capital the most profitable company in this year’s Hot 100 list – it looks like Harding is leaving his rivals in his wake.
www.wintoncapital.com
HOT 100 PROFILES
Sales 2007: £53m
Sales 2004: £1.4m
Annual growth: 234%
Sales 2007: £53m
Sales 2004: £700k
Annual growth: 206 %
Sales 2007: £6.3m
Sales 2004: £151k
Annual growth: 201 %
Sales 2007: £7.4m
Sales 2004: £386k
Annual growth: 169%
Sales 2007: £7.8m
Sales 2004: £445k
Annual growth: 160%
Sales 2007: £20.6m
Sales 2004: £1.19m
Annual growth: 159%
Sales 2007: £6.89m
Sales 2004: £402k
Annual growth: 158%
Sales 2007: £9.3m
Sales 2004: £278k
Annual growth: 156%
Sales 2007: £5.1m
Sales 2004: £327k
Annual growth: 151%
Sales 2007: £10.4m
Sales 2004: £687k
Annual growth: 148%
Sales 2007: £5m
Sales 2004: £343k
Annual growth: 145%
Sales 2007: £6.7m
Sales 2004: £488k
Annual growth: 140%
Sales 2007: £169.8m
Sales 2004: £12.7m
Annual growth: 137%
Sales 2007: £68m
Sales 2004: £5.1m
Annual growth: 137%
Sales 2007: £143m
Sales 2004: £15.7m
Annual growth: 135%
Sales 2007: £7.1m
Sales 2004: £585k
Annual growth: 130%
Sales 2007: £9.8m
Sales 2004: £809k
Annual growth: 130%
Sales 2007: £6.7m
Sales 2004: £561k
Annual growth: 129%
Sales 2007: £13.6m
Sales 2004: £1.2m
Annual growth: 127%
Sales 2007: £5.5m
Sales 2004: £510k
Annual growth: 121%
Sales 2007: £6.9m
Sales 2004: £640k
Annual growth: 121%
Sales 2007: £8.4m
Sales 2004: £780k
Annual growth: 121%
Sales 2007: £5.1m
Sales 2004: £492k
Annual growth: 119%
Sales 2007: £13m
Sales 2004: £1.2m
Annual growth: 119%
Sales 2007: £35.2m
Sales 2004: £3.4m
Annual growth: 118%
Sales 2007: £44m
Sales 2004: £4.2m
Annual growth: 118%
Sales 2007: £5.9m
Sales 2004: £580k
Annual growth: 117%
Sales 2007: £92m
Sales 2004: £9.4m
Annual growth: 114%
Sales 2007: £5.1m
Sales 2004: £564m
Annual growth: 109%
Sales 2007: £6.9m
Sales 2004: £775k
Annual growth: 108%
Sales 2007: £23.7m
Sales 2004: £1.8m
Annual growth: 106%
Sales 2007: £46.6m
Sales 2004: £5.9m
Annual growth: 105%
Sales 2007: £11.7m
Sales 2004: £1.2m
Annual growth: 101%
Sales 2007: £42.2m
Sales 2004: £5.2m
Annual growth: 100%
Sales 2007: £12.8m
Sales 2004: £1.6m
Annual growth: 100%
Sales 2007: £55.2m
Sales 2004: £6.9m
Annual growth: 99%
Sales 2007: £7.7m
Sales 2004: £998k
Annual growth: 98%
Sales 2007: £10.2m
Sales 2004: £1.3m
Annual growth: 96%
Sales 2007: £17.3m
Sales 2004: £2.3m
Annual growth: 95%
Sales 2007: £27m
Sales 2004: £3.6m
Annual growth: 95%
Sales 2007: £87.8m
Sales 2004: £11.8m
Annual growth: 95%
Sales 2007: £71.9m
Sales 2004: £10m
Annual growth: 93%
Sales 2007: £18.2m
Sales 2004: £2.5m
Annual growth: 92%
Sales 2007: £8.7m
Sales 2004: £1.2m
Annual growth: 91%
Sales 2007: £13.5m
Sales 2004: £1.9m
Annual growth: 90%
Sales 2007: £7.1m
Sales 2004: £1.5m
Annual growth: 91%
Sales 2007: £20.6m
Sales 2004: £3m
Annual growth: 89%
Sales 2007: £36.3m
Sales 2004: £5.4m
Annual growth: 89%
Sales 2007: £5.3m
Sales 2004: £808k
Annual growth: 88%
Sales 2007: £18.8m
Sales 2004: £2.8m
Annual growth: 88%
Sales 2007: £73.7m
Sales 2004: £11.1m
Annual growth: 88%
Sales 2007: £67.6m
Sales 2004: £10.5m
Annual growth: 86%
Sales 2007: £7.3m
Sales 2004: £1.1m
Annual growth: 86%
Sales 2007: £6.5m
Sales 2004: £1m
Annual growth: 85%
Sales 2007: £6.5m
Sales 2004: £1m
Annual growth: 85%
Sales 2007: £5.3m
Sales 2004: £849k
Annual growth: 85%
Sales 2007: £5.3m
Sales 2004: £849k
Annual growth: 81%
Sales 2007: £37.1m
Sales 2004: £6.3m
Annual growth: 81%
Sales 2007: £109m
Sales 2004: £23.8m
Annual growth: 79%
Sales 2007: £11.2m
Sales 2004: £2m
Annual growth: 77%
Sales 2007: £29.5m
Sales 2004: £5.3m
Annual growth: 76%
Sales 2007: £17.6m
Sales 2004: £3.2m
Annual growth: 76%
Sales 2007: £7.6m
Sales 2004: £1.4m
Annual growth: 73%
Sales 2007: £109.4m
Sales 2004: £21.2m
Annual growth: 73%
Sales 2007: £11.2m
Sales 2004: £2.2m
Annual growth: 72%
Sales 2007: £7m
Sales 2004: £1.3m
Annual growth: 72%
Sales 2007: £1.19bn
Sales 2004: £239.5m
Annual growth: 71%
Sales 2007: £5.7m
Sales 2004: £580k
Annual growth: 71%
Sales 2007: £45.1m
Sales 2004: £9.1k
Annual growth: 70%
Sales 2007: £12.7m
Sales 2004: £2.6k
Annual growth: 70%
Sales 2007: £19.5m
Sales 2004: £4m
Annual growth: 69%
Sales 2007: £76.6m
Sales 2004: £14.4m
Annual growth: 67%
Sales 2007: £18.2m
Sales 2004: £3.9m
Annual growth: 67%
Sales 2007: £29.7m
Sales 2004: £6.7m
Annual growth: 64%
Sales 2007: £121.5m
Sales 2004: £28m
Annual growth: 63%
Sales 2007: £25.1m
Sales 2004: £5.8m
Annual growth: 63%
Sales 2007: £76.7m
Sales 2004: £17.8m
Annual growth: 63%
Sales 2007: £24.6m
Sales 2004: £5.8m
Annual growth: 62%
Sales 2007: £16.4m
Sales 2004: £3.8m
Annual growth: 62%
Sales 2007: £7.4m
Sales 2004: £1.9m
Annual growth: 62%
Sales 2007: £9.5m
Sales 2004: £2.3m
Annual growth: 60%
Sales 2007: £11.3m
Sales 2004: £2.8m
Annual growth: 60%
Sales 2007: £8.1m
Sales 2004: £1.7m
Annual growth: 59%
Sales 2007: £24.5m
Sales 2004: £6.1m
Annual growth: 59%
Sales 2007: £35m
Sales 2004: £9m
Annual growth: 57%
Sales 2007: £22.3m
Sales 2004: £5.7m
Annual growth: 57%
Sales 2007: £5.9m
Sales 2004: £1.5m
Annual growth: 57%
Sales 2007: £29.8m
Sales 2004: £7.7m
Annual growth: 57%
Sales 2007: £8.3m
Sales 2004: £2.2m
Annual growth: 57%
Sales 2007: £15m
Sales 2004: £3.9m
Annual growth: 56%
Sales 2007: £51.3m
Sales 2004: £13.5m
Annual growth: 56%
Sales 2007: £20.1m
Sales 2004: £5.3m
Annual growth: 56%
Sales 2007: £8.5m
Sales 2004: £2.2m
Annual growth: 56%
Sales 2007: £15.7m
Sales 2004: £4.2m
Annual growth: 55%
Sales 2007: £43.6m
Sales 2004: £11.8m
Annual growth: 55%
Sales 2007: £24.8m
Sales 2004: £6.8m
Annual growth: 54%
Sales 2007: £59.2m
Sales 2004: £16.7m
Annual growth: 54%
Sales 2007: £42.1m
Sales 2004: £11.9m
Annual growth: 52%
Sales 2007: £10.5m
Sales 2004: £3m
Annual growth: 51%
Sales 2007: £16m
Sales 2004: £4.7m
Annual growth: 51%