The University of Oxford’s newest graduate college has been named after popular business tycoons and Rich List winners Reuben Brothers.
With roots in Baghdad, Iraq, the Iraqi-Jewish entrepreneur brothers David and Simon Reuben were born in Bombay (now Mumbai) while their father was posted in a textile company in India.
According to their online biography, the brothers arrived in London in the 1950s with their mother, Nancy, and lived in Islington; having run various businesses across the Indian Subcontinent from their bases in Bombay and Baghdad. The brothers attended state schools, with Simon never completing his formal education.
The duo stands at the second spot of The Sunday Times Rich List 2021 with a net worth of £21.4bn. They have never missed a spot in the top five for several years now.
As of today, Reuben Brothers have an empire across Russia, China, Monaco, the Middle East, the US and Europe. They are not fond of publicity despite being incredibly celebrated for their achievements.
UK properties owned by the Reuben Brothers include Millbank Tower; the John Lewis Partnership headquarters in Victoria; the American Express offices also in Victoria; Carlton House; Academy House on Sackville Street; Connaught House on Berkeley Square; Market Towers; the London Primark store on Oxford Street; Sloane Street shops; and Cambridge House, the former premises of the Naval and Military Club, which comprises six freehold buildings which have planning consent for a six-star hotel and private members' club.
The family's philanthropic vehicle, the Reuben Foundation, is focused on the advancement of healthcare and education. The family founded the Nancy Reuben Primary School, an independent Jewish day school in Hendon in honour of their mother.
The foundation has donated £80 million to support the creation of Reuben College, Oxford, originally named Parks College. It will be a post-graduate college focused on climate change, artificial intelligence and cellular life.
