John Whittaker (born 14 March 1942) is a British billionaire. He is chairman of the Peel Group, a property business that mainly invests in North West England. Although publicity-shy, he has been described as one of the most influential business leaders for Greater Manchester and the North West by the Manchester Evening News (2007), and was named the most influential northerner by The Big Issue magazine in 2010. According to The Sunday Times Rich List in 2019, Whittaker is worth £1.95 billion, a decrease of £300 million from 2018.