Simon and David Reuben names rarely appear in glossy tabloids, however, they constantly rank among the most successful people in Britain and the world. In 2007, they were among the ten richest people in the world, holding the 8th place with a fortune of more than $ 3.5 billion. In 2019, their names were published by the Times among the most successful British residents. At the time, they ranked second, with an estimated fortune of 18.664 billion pounds. So, who are Simon and David Reuben?

A journey from Mumbai to London

Ruben brothers hardly ever give interviews and prefer not to recall their childhood. Their journey began in Mumbai, where they were born and lived with their mother and grandmother. They had nothing but sharp minds and ambitions. In the early 1950s, when boys were 12-14 year olds, their mother sent them to London. The Jewish community there gave them shelter and assisted in getting into school.

After school, David went to college. He spent evenings working for a company specialising in non-ferrous metal sales. Such experience would help him to build a successful business in the future. Immediately after school, Simon worked in a carpet manufacture. Later he managed to buy a bankrupt production and set up a business. Simon Ruben invested his first earnings in real estate. He bought commercial premises in London and Chelsea.

Now their path seems to be a standard success story with main characters simply being lucky. In fact, brothers made a long journey from Mumbai slums to the Forbes list. Their story proves that success does not depend on the background nor assets availability. It depends only on person’s ability to unleash their potential and direct their inner energy to achieve their goals. Dmitry Leus – financier, investor and Imperium Investments director, expressed a similar opinion. He was born in Turkmenistan, the poorest region of the Soviet Union, and made his way to a successful business in the UK.

From Trans World Metals to an impressive real estate collection

In 1977, brothers combined their efforts and founded Trans World Metals, a company specialising in non-ferrous metals trading. In the 1990s, they collaborated with Soviet metallurgical production companies, trading metal at London and New York stock exchanges. Through investments in Soviet metallurgy, the Ruben Brothers made their first fortune amounting to tens of millions of dollars. They owned metallurgical plants and sold aluminium and ferrous metals on the European market until the 2000s.

In the 2000s, brothers began to invest heavily in luxury real estate in Britain and the United States. The following are a few gems from Reuben Brothers real estate collection:

  • Cambridge House;

  • Millbank Tower

  • Curtain and Private Members Club;

  • Surrey Hotel, situated in the Upper East Side.

In 2002, brothers founded the Reuben Foundation, a charitable foundation supporting educational and social projects. The Foundation has scholarships for talented children from all over the world and supports several hospitals in London. Reuben brothers believe that wealth is meaningless unless it helps society.