Muhammad Ziauddin Yusuf (born c. 1986–87)[1] is a multi-millionaire British businessman and political campaigner who has been the Chairman of Reform UK, a right-wing populist political party, since 11 July 2024.[2]
Early life
Muhammad Ziauddin Yusuf[3] was born in Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, Scotland.[4][1] His parents migrated from Sri Lanka to the UK in the 1980s, and both worked for the NHS.[5] His father is a doctor and his mother is a nurse.[6]
Yusuf was educated at the fee-charging Hampton School in west London, where he won a 50% scholarship and met his future business partner, Alex Macdonald.[7][8] Yusuf earned a BSc in international relations from the London School of Economics in 2009.[9][10]
Career
Yusuf worked at Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs after leaving university, specialising in European automotive and defence companies.[11]
His job involved understanding how giant manufacturers like Fiat, Peugeot, Siemens, Weir Group, Spirex-Sarco Engineering, Saffron and Airbus worked. He rose to executive director[7] at Goldman Sachs.
In 2014, Yusuf and Macdonald founded a luxury concierge company, Velocity Black, of which he was the CEO.[12][7] In 2023, they sold the company to Capital One for £233 million, and Yusuf made an estimated £31 million.[13][5][4]
Politics
Yusuf first met Nigel Farage at a cocktail party hosted by the Eurosceptic millionaire Stuart Wheeler.[14]
After selling his business in 2023, he subsequently turned to politics and became the largest donor to Reform UK in the run-up to the 2024 general election.[12][15]Nigel Farage has suggested that Yusuf might one day lead Reform UK.[5]
