Billionaire Matt Moulding recently transferred nearly $140 million to his own charitable foundation established for the cause of fighting "inequality" in society. The best part? He cut the check after receiving a note from none other than Bill Gates congratulating him on his recent success and asking how he planned to give back some of his fortune to a better cause.
Moulding rocketed to billionaire status in September of last year after going public with his London-based retail company The Hut Group.
Moulding explained:
"I'm from a working class background in Colne, Lancashire. Comprehensive school, low down the ladder of the wealth scale. So to be in a position where I can do this is hard to believe. It's a no brainer. I hope it is just the start…Nobody [out there] really knows you, but you spend your life with minimal resources and suddenly you have the opportunity to do this. I am more proud of being able to do this than all the THG performance numbers."
The Giving Pledge is a challenge to every billionaire in the world to give away their fortunes over the course of their lives. For some reason, the philanthropy trend hasn't really caught on with billionaires outside of the United States.
Hopefully Moulding's donation and announcement will set a new trend for British billionaires!