Introduction
Simon Orange is a British entrepreneur best known as the founder and chairman of CorpAcq, a UK acquisitions group he built from scratch in 2006 into a business empire large enough to draw a landmark billion-pound investment. He’s also the co-owner of Premiership rugby club Sale Sharks and the brother of former Take That member Jason Orange, connections that have brought him more attention than he seems to actively seek. This article separates what’s actually documented about Simon Orange, drawn from Forbes, Bloomberg, Crunchbase, and CorpAcq’s own record, from the inaccurate claims that circulate about him elsewhere online.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Simon Sebastian Orange |
| Nationality | British |
| Known For | Founder and Chairman, CorpAcq; co-owner, Sale Sharks rugby club |
| Hometown | Manchester, England |
| Founded CorpAcq | 2006 |
| Major Deal | Sold majority stake in CorpAcq to TDR Capital in a deal worth more than £1 billion, announced January 2025 |
| Brother | Jason Orange, former member of Take That |
| Residence | Bowdon, Greater Manchester |
Who Is Simon Orange?
Simon Orange built his career not in music, unlike his younger brother Jason, but in business acquisitions, founding CorpAcq in 2006 and growing it over nearly two decades into one of the UK’s more significant investment groups. According to Forbes, CorpAcq specializes in acquiring small and medium-sized UK enterprises, particularly in industrial products and services, and is based in Altrincham, Greater Manchester. Orange came to wider public attention in 2016 when he led a consortium that acquired Sale Sharks and again in early 2025 when private equity firm TDR Capital acquired a majority stake in CorpAcq in a deal valued at more than £1.2 billion.
Early Life
Simon Orange grew up in Manchester in a working-class background. In past comments about his upbringing, cited in coverage of his rugby ownership, Orange has described a childhood far removed from the sport he’d later invest in, saying rugby wasn’t part of the culture where he grew up compared to football. Detailed, independently verified information about his exact birth year, education, and family background beyond his connection to his brother is limited in credible reporting, and sources that offer a specific birth year vary between the late 1960s and late 1970s without a confirmed original source, so this article does not state one as fact.
Career: Building CorpAcq
Orange founded CorpAcq in 2006 with a buy-and-build strategy: acquiring established, profitable small and medium-sized businesses across sectors including industrial products, manufacturing, and services, then supporting their growth under CorpAcq’s ownership rather than folding them into a single brand. According to CorpAcq’s own company profile, Orange has spent nearly 20 years personally identifying and negotiating the group’s acquisitions alongside the firm’s corporate finance partners, while also driving funding and strategic development. Some of the businesses CorpAcq has invested in have gone on to be sold to companies listed on the NASDAQ and the London Stock Exchange.
Beyond CorpAcq, Orange is a founder investor and director of BOL, a company supplying food products to major UK retailers, and a founding member of Cicero Consulting Group, based in New York.
In August 2023, CorpAcq unveiled plans to go public in the United States through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company founded by former Citigroup banker Michael Klein in a deal valued at £1.6 billion. That plan was dropped roughly a year later due to unfavorable market conditions. Instead, in January 2025, private equity firm TDR Capital announced it had acquired a majority stake in CorpAcq in a deal reported by Forbes to be worth more than £1.2 billion. Orange and his management team retained a significant shareholding and continue to run the business.
Sale Sharks’ Ownership
In 2016, Simon Orange led a consortium that acquired Sale Sharks, the Premiership Rugby club based in Greater Manchester. His move into professional rugby ownership was notable partly because, by his own account, it wasn’t a sport he grew up around. Since the acquisition, Orange has remained a co-owner of the club alongside his continued work at CorpAcq.
Family
Simon Orange is the brother of Jason Orange, who rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the pop group Take That, known for hits including “Back for Good” and “Never Forget.” Jason Orange left Take That in 2014. Despite the shared surname and some public confusion, Simon was never a member of the band himself.
A number of low-quality biography websites incorrectly report that Simon Orange is married to television personality Christine McGuinness. This appears to be a case of mistaken identity or confusion with unrelated public figures. Christine McGuinness is publicly known for her marriage to television presenter Paddy McGuinness, and there is no credible source connecting her to Simon Orange. A Crunchbase profile of Orange instead lists his wife as Michelle, with the couple living in Bowdon, Greater Manchester, though this detail has not been corroborated by a major news outlet, so it should be treated as reported rather than fully confirmed.
Personal Life and Interests
According to his Crunchbase profile, Simon Orange plays golf and football and has taken up amateur motor racing, competing in Mazda MX-5 races through the British Racing and Sports Car Club. Multiple profiles describe him as a private individual who avoids seeking media attention, preferring to let his business results speak for his reputation.
Net Worth
According to multiple published estimates, Simon Orange’s net worth is thought to fall somewhere in the tens of millions of pounds, with some estimates placing it in the £20 million to £25 million range as of 2025, though these figures are not independently audited and should be treated as approximate. His wealth is tied primarily to his ownership stake in CorpAcq, a private company, meaning any precise net worth figure, especially following the 2025 TDR Capital transaction, which was reported to value CorpAcq at over £1 billion overall, is necessarily an estimate rather than a confirmed number.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Simon Orange? He is a British entrepreneur, the founder and chairman of CorpAcq, and co-owner of the Sale Sharks rugby club. He is the brother of former Take That member Jason Orange.
What is CorpAcq? CorpAcq is a UK-based investment and acquisitions group founded by Orange in 2006, focused on acquiring and growing small- and medium-sized businesses, particularly in industrial products and services.
Is Simon Orange married to Christine McGuinness? No. This is a commonly repeated but inaccurate claim. Christine McGuinness is known for her marriage to Paddy McGuinness. A Crunchbase profile lists Orange’s wife as Michelle.
How much did TDR Capital pay for CorpAcq? TDR Capital acquired a majority stake in CorpAcq in a deal reported by Forbes to be worth more than £1.2 billion, announced in January 2025.
Is Simon Orange related to Jason Orange from Take That? Yes, they are brothers. Jason Orange was a member of Take That; Simon was never part of the band.
What is Simon Orange’s net worth? According to published estimates, his net worth is believed to be in the tens of millions of pounds, though exact figures vary and aren’t independently confirmed.
Conclusion
Simon Orange has spent nearly two decades building CorpAcq into a business substantial enough to attract a billion-pound private equity investment, all while maintaining a public profile far quieter than that of his famous brother. Between the CorpAcq deal, his ownership stake in Sale Sharks, and the corrections needed around inaccurate claims about his personal life, his is a story better understood through business records than through the speculative biography pages that dominate search results for his name.
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