Simon Orange has built a public profile across British business, Premiership rugby and GT motorsport. The Manchester-based entrepreneur founded CorpAcq in 2006 and developed it into a long-term acquisition group holding more than 40 companies. He is also closely associated with Sale Sharks, where his investment has helped shape the club’s modern era, and he competes in the British GT Championship.
His surname is familiar for another reason. Simon is the brother of Jason Orange, the former Take That member, a connection that often brings entertainment fans to his name. Yet Simon’s own career has developed far from pop music. His story is centred on acquisitions, patient ownership, professional sport and a growing racing programme.
Quick Bio
| Simon Orange – Quick Bio | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Simon Orange |
| Profession | Entrepreneur, investor, rugby club owner and GT racing driver |
| Nationality | British |
| Based In | Greater Manchester, England |
| Known For | Founder of CorpAcq and co-owner of Sale Sharks |
| Company Founded | CorpAcq Limited |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Major Business Interest | William Hare Group |
| Rugby Club | Sale Sharks |
| Motorsport | British GT Championship |
| Racing Team | Orange Racing powered by JMH |
| Spouse | Michelle Orange |
| Brother | Jason Orange, former Take That member |
| Net Worth | Exact personal net worth is not publicly verified |
| Current Focus | Business investment, professional rugby and motorsport |
CorpAcq Is the Centre of Simon Orange’s Business Story
The most important business associated with Simon Orange is CorpAcq. He established the Altrincham-based company in 2006 after years of involvement in funding and managing businesses. CorpAcq describes itself as a business acquisition compounder, concentrating on established companies and long-term ownership rather than short-term turnarounds.
Its model is built around buying businesses while allowing management teams to retain substantial operational independence. The portfolio has expanded across manufacturing, engineering, building products, plant hire, packaging, energy services and retail. Holdings have included Cotton Traders, Northern Packaging and Klarius Products.
By the time TDR Capital announced its investment in February 2025, CorpAcq’s portfolio contained more than 40 companies. TDR said the group had generated £697 million in revenue and £119 million in adjusted EBITDA in the financial year ending 2023, showing the scale CorpAcq had reached from its North West base.
The TDR Capital Deal Marked a Major Turning Point
CorpAcq entered a new phase when TDR Capital acquired a majority stake in the group in 2025. The transaction did not remove Orange from the business: TDR confirmed that he and the existing management team would retain a significant shareholding and continue running the company.
Press coverage described the deal as being worth more than £1 billion, although the official announcement did not publish a personal payout for Orange. That distinction matters when discussing his wealth, because the value of a corporate transaction is not the same thing as an individual’s confirmed net worth.
Goldman Sachs Alternatives’ Vintage Strategies also reinvested as a minority shareholder. The stated purpose of TDR’s investment was to support CorpAcq’s next phase of acquisition-led growth while preserving the company’s long-term approach.
William Hare Added Another Major Industrial Interest
Only months later, Orange made another significant move. In June 2025, William Hare Group announced that it had been acquired by the entrepreneur, making him its new majority shareholder.
William Hare is an engineered steel business founded in 1945. Headquartered in Bury, Greater Manchester, it employs around 2,000 people and operates in the UK, Europe, the UAE and India. Its work has included major projects such as Hinkley Point C, Battersea Power Station and HS2-related bridges.
The existing management team, led by Susan Hodgkiss, remained in place, with Orange providing support and guidance. In May 2025, he also joined regional investor Prefequity as a Senior Adviser, with a focus on helping expand its network across the North of England.
Sale Sharks Made Orange a Recognisable Sporting Owner
For many people outside corporate finance, Simon Orange became widely recognisable through Sale Sharks. In June 2016, an investment group led by him acquired the Premiership rugby club from Brian Kennedy and Ian Blackhurst, ending their 16-year period of ownership.
At the time, Orange spoke about investing in the squad, academy and wider club structure. The ambition was to strengthen rugby union’s position in the North West and make Sale more competitive against England’s leading clubs.
The ownership group came to include Simon and his wife, Michelle Orange, alongside businessman Ged Mason. Sale’s own history identifies Simon, Michelle and Mason as the owners who bought the club in 2016, while Premiership Women’s Rugby describes Simon and Michelle as co-owners.
Their tenure has covered important sporting milestones. Sale won the Premiership Rugby Cup in 2020, reached the Premiership final in 2022–23 and returned to the play-off semi-finals in 2023–24. The club also established a women’s team, extending its top-level rugby programme.
Michelle remains active in the club and became a board director of Premiership Women’s Rugby in 2024. Sale continues to publicly identify Simon and Michelle with its ownership and community work, keeping the couple central to the club’s current profile.
Motorsport Has Become a Serious Competitive Pursuit
Orange is also an active racing driver, competing through Orange Racing powered by JMH. British GT records show that he has raced McLaren machinery, including the 720S GT3 Evo.
His earlier GT Cup record includes class titles in 2020, 2021 and 2022. He then developed a fuller British GT programme, competing from 2022 and completing full campaigns from 2023 onward.
In 2025, racing with Marcus Clutton, Orange finished ninth overall and recorded a best result of second at Oulton Park. The partnership continued into 2026, when the pair added podium finishes at Spa-Francorchamps and Snetterton. Orange Racing listed them fourth in the championship after Donington Park in early September.
The results make clear that his motorsport involvement is more than a branding exercise. He is competing in a demanding national GT series against experienced professional and amateur driver pairings.
The Jason Orange Connection Explains Some Public Curiosity
Simon Orange is the brother of Jason Orange, who became famous as a member of Take That. Jason was part of the group during its original rise and later returned for its reunion before leaving in 2014.
The relationship has regularly been mentioned in national coverage of Simon, particularly since the Sale Sharks takeover. BBC Sport and Sky Sports both identified him as Jason Orange’s brother when reporting the 2016 acquisition.
The brothers nevertheless built very different professional lives. Jason became known through music and entertainment, while Simon’s public record is rooted in business acquisitions, rugby ownership and motorsport. The family connection attracts interest, but it does not define Simon’s career.
Personal Life and the Limits of Public Information
Reliable public information about Orange’s private life is relatively limited. His wife, Michelle Orange, is well documented through Sale Sharks, Premiership Women’s Rugby and official charity records, and the couple have worked together around the club.
Beyond those roles, detailed family information is not widely documented by authoritative sources. His exact date of birth is also unclear: current motorsport records and older media coverage do not produce a consistent age timeline. For that reason, an exact birth date or age should not be treated as settled fact.
Simon Orange’s Net Worth Is Not Publicly Verified
Orange is regularly described as a wealthy entrepreneur, especially following the TDR investment in CorpAcq. However, there is no authoritative public figure establishing his exact personal net worth.
The reported £1 billion-plus value associated with the CorpAcq transaction should not be presented as his personal fortune. TDR bought a majority stake in a company with continuing management ownership, while Orange retained a significant interest.
What is clear is that his business interests are substantial. He remains CorpAcq’s founder and chairman, holds a majority interest in William Hare and has major commitments in professional rugby and motorsport. Converting those assets into a precise personal wealth figure would require private information that is not publicly available.
Conclusion
Simon Orange’s public identity now spans corporate investment, professional rugby and GT racing. CorpAcq remains the foundation of his business career, while the TDR investment and William Hare acquisition demonstrate the scale of his continuing activity. Sale Sharks has made him a visible figure in English sport, and his racing programme adds another competitive dimension.
Being Jason Orange’s brother may explain why some readers first recognise the surname, but Simon has built a separate profile through long-term company ownership, deal-making and sport. That combination, rather than celebrity association alone, is what keeps his name prominent in British business and sporting circles.
FAQs.
What is Simon Orange known for?
Simon Orange is best known as the founder and chairman of CorpAcq, a UK acquisition group, and as a co-owner of Sale Sharks. He is also a GT racing driver and the majority shareholder of William Hare Group.
Is Simon Orange related to Jason Orange?
Yes. Simon Orange is the brother of Jason Orange, the former Take That member. Jason built his career in music and entertainment, while Simon became known through business investment, rugby ownership and motorsport.
Does Simon Orange still run CorpAcq?
Yes. TDR Capital acquired a majority stake in CorpAcq in 2025, but the transaction announcement stated that Orange and the existing management team would retain a significant shareholding and continue running the business.
Who owns Sale Sharks with Simon Orange?
Sale Sharks’ official history identifies Simon and Michelle Orange and businessman Ged Mason as the ownership group that took over the club in 2016. Michelle remains actively involved in the organisation.
What is Simon Orange’s net worth?
His exact net worth has not been publicly verified. Reports valued the 2025 CorpAcq transaction at more than £1 billion, but that figure relates to the corporate deal rather than Orange’s personal wealth.
Does Simon Orange race cars?
Yes. He competes in British GT with Orange Racing powered by JMH, driving a McLaren 720S GT3 Evo alongside Marcus Clutton during the 2026 season.
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