Belfast-born Fitzpatrick set up Ovo in 2009 after working in banking. Buying the retail supply arm of SSE 11 years later turned his green-energy minnow into one of Britain’s leading energy companies with more than four million customers. Annual profits at the Bristol-based provider have now surged to more than £1bn. The Ulsterman’s other large venture, Vertical Aerospace, has yet to take flight. Shares in the aerial taxi start-up have lost almost all of their value since floating on the US stock market in 2021. But long-awaited regulatory approval for the company’s VX4 aircraft could transform city skylines… and the share price.