English businessman and philanthropist John Caudwell has an estimated net worth of $2.4 billion as of April 2016 according to Forbes. He is also the 18th richest person in the United Kingdom and is ranked 554th in the list of World Billionaires.

John David Caudwell, born on October 7, 1952 in Birmingham, United Kingdom, has earned his estimated net worth of $2.4 billion in the mobile phone business. His business career began when he became an apprentice at Michelin. For several years, he has also worked as an engineering foreman while gaining an HNC in mechanical engineering.

In 1987, be started as a mobile phone seller along with his brother, Brian. He has bought 26 mobile devices from the United States and sold then for thousands each to British plumbers and businessmen. In 1993, the Caudwell brothers founded the mobile service provider Singlepoint while taking on 1.9 million contract customers. In 2003, they sold the company to Vodafone for $650 million. John used the proceeds to grow his mobile handset wholesaler, Phones4U, into a retail and distribution giant. In 2006, he sold a majority stake in the company to Providence Equity Partners for $2.8 billion. The remaining 25% was sold in 2011 for $272 million.

Today, Mr. Caudwell is busy investing in small to medium-sized businesses and prime London real estate. He also chairs Caudwell Children, a charity he promotes via Twitter and is the largest benefactor of. In 2011, he spent $33 million on a Mayfair parking lot with the intention to turn it into high-end apartments. A billionaire and an avid sportsman, he claims that he is Britain’s biggest income tax payer. However, he refuses to use offshore tax havens such as Jersey or Monaco.