Life is sweet for Britain's young millionaires

People & Business

Scions of some of the country's captains of industry feature heavily in a new listing of Britain's most eligible millionaires. The October issue of Cosmopolitan includes David Pilkington and Joel Cadbury in its top five hunks that the nation's girlies should try to ensnare.

Mr Pilkington, 32, is the son of former chairman Sir Anthony Pilkington. Worth pounds 1m "plus a share in the family glass fortune", he recently set up a company called Bespoke Multimedia, which produces computer training CD-ROMs. He also plans to open a bar/restaurant in London.

Mr Cadbury, 25, is the great-great-grandson of John Cadbury, the chocolate business founder, and a distant cousin of the chairman, Dominic Cadbury. (He is the son of Peter Cadbury and Jennifer d'Abo, whose past directorships include Channel 4 television and Pentos.)

Already worth "at least pounds 1m", according to Cosmo, he set up a company called Longshot two years ago which runs the Goat in Boots Club in Fulham and the Vingt Quatre 24-hour restaurant. The pub is proving a real money spinner and expansion is expected.

A Porsche-driving smoker, the young Mr Cadbury sounds like a young man in a hurry.

"I couldn't swan around using up the family fortune," he says. "I've got too much pride."

Already a millionaire, he has set his sights on higher things. He wants to be in a billionaire club. Friends say he might just make it.

The rift between James Ross and Lord Young does not seem to have healed since their spectacular falling-out at Cable & Wireless. Asked if he had heard from his old adversary since their joint departure, the new Littlewoods chairman said: "He hasn't been in touch. I thought he would ring me asking for a job, but he hasn't."

It seems there is life after Polly Peck for some of the collapsed company's former directors. And it is the United States which is proving fertile ground for career rebuilding. Tony Reading, the former managing director, surfaced as head of Tomkins US operations a couple of years ago.

Now two other former directors of Asil Nadir's former empire have emerged as senior directors in a US computer software company. Mark Ellis and Anil Doshi are chairman and chief operating officer respectively of 4Front Software International, a computer company which recently floated on Nasdaq.

Mr Ellis and Mr Doshi have been working together for several years in the US. They co-founded another software company, Communic8 Software, in 1990.

Peter George of Ladbroke is putting a brave face on Frankie Dettori's success last weekend, which cost the bookies a packet.

He hired Dettori to give away cheques to nine of Ladbroke's winners at yesterday's meeting at Newmarket.

The payouts ranged from pounds 28,000 to pounds 500,000.

Mr George was also on good form the other night at a function in London, where he regaled the audience with a Henry Kissinger joke. Mr George had just returned from a dinner in Paris at which Mr Kissinger was a guest.

Mr Kissinger, whose reputation as one of the world's greatest intellects is well known, was seated next to a glamorous East European blonde. Rising to the conversational challenge, her opening line followed thus: "I hear you're a fascinating man." Pause. "Go on then, fascinate me."

Roy Waudby has retired as non-executive chairman of Rosebys, the furniture retailer which took over Brentfords, the old Brentford Nylons business, this year. Mr Waudby, 68, will remain on the board of JJB Sports.

He will be replaced by Gordon Hourston, a director of United Biscuits and a former managing director of Boots the Chemist.

"I will probably spend two days a week with the company while I get to know it as the home furnishings sector is not one I know well," he said.