# Mike Ashley

_English billionaire retail entrepreneur/sporting goods market/former co-owner of Newcastle United_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/mike-ashley
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> Michael James Wallace Ashley (born 9 September 1964) is a British  entrepreneur who is the founder and former chief executive of Frasers Group plc (formerly Sports Direct International). He owned Newcastle United Football Club between 2007 and 2021.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 9 September 1964 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q554077#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Burnham ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q554077#P19))
- **Citizenship:** United Kingdom ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q554077#P27))
- **Occupation:** businessperson; chief executive officer ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q554077#P106))
- **Education:** Burnham Grammar School ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q554077#P69))

## About

According to the Sunday Times Rich List in 2026, Ashley was the 48th richest person in the UK with an estimated net worth of £3.44 billion. In August 2021, Ashley announced that he intended to step down as chief executive of Frasers Group in May 2022, but would remain a director of the main board. He was succeeded as chief executive by his son-in-law, Michael Murray, on 1 May 2022. In September 2022, Frasers Group announced that Ashley would not stand for re-election as a director and would leave the board following the company's annual general meeting on 19 October 2022.

## Questions

**When was Mike Ashley born?**  
Mike Ashley was born on 9 September 1964 in Burnham.

**Where did Mike Ashley study?**  
Mike Ashley was educated at Burnham Grammar School.

## Related

- [Bernie Ecclestone](https://diginpl.com/people/bernie-ecclestone)
- [Doug Perkins](https://diginpl.com/people/doug-perkins)
- [Gopichand Hinduja](https://diginpl.com/people/gopichand-hinduja)
- [Ian Livingstone](https://diginpl.com/people/ian-livingstone)
- [Jayshree Ullal](https://diginpl.com/people/jayshree-ullal)
- [Jim Ratcliffe](https://diginpl.com/people/jim-ratcliffe)
- [Michael Kadoorie](https://diginpl.com/people/michael-kadoorie)
- [Michael Moritz](https://diginpl.com/people/michael-moritz)
- [Philip Green](https://diginpl.com/people/philip-green)
- [Trevor Hemmings](https://diginpl.com/people/trevor-hemmings)
- [David Beckham](https://diginpl.com/people/david-beckham)
- [Victoria Beckham](https://diginpl.com/people/victoria-beckham)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Mike Ashley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Ashley_(businessman)) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q554077](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q554077) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Mike Ashley at Tup Tup Palace (cropped).jpg by Johnvedwards (CC BY-SA 3.0)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mike_Ashley_at_Tup_Tup_Palace_(cropped).jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Mike Ashley, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Mike Ashley at Tup Tup Palace (cropped).jpg — Johnvedwards, CC BY-SA 3.0.

## Cite this page

"Mike Ashley". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/mike-ashley. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
