Richard Branson

Sir Richard Branson is Founder of the Virgin Group. Virgin is a leading international investment group and one of the world’s most recognized and respected brands.

Conceived in 1970 by Sir Richard Branson, the Virgin Group has gone on to grow successful businesses in sectors including mobile telephony, travel & transportation, financial services, leisure & entertainment and health & wellness. Virgin has created more than 400 branded companies worldwide and employs more than 60,000 people, operating in over 50 countries. Global branded revenues of £15bn ($24bn) in 2012.

Sir Richard has challenged himself with many record breaking adventures, including the fastest ever Atlantic Ocean crossing, a series of hot air balloon journeys and kitesurfing across the Channel. He has described Virgin Galactic, the world’s first commercial spaceline, as “the greatest adventure of all.”

He is also a record breaker online, voted the UK’s number one Twitter user, the world’s most social CEO and the world’s most followed person on LinkedIn. He maintains a daily blog on virgin.com with more than 21 million followers across five social networks.

Since starting youth culture magazine Student aged 16, Sir Richard has found entrepreneurial ways to provoke positive change in the world. In 2004 he established non-profit foundation Virgin Unite to tackle tough social and environmental problems

and strives to make business a force for good. Most of his time is now spent working with Virgin Unite and the organizations it has incubated, such as The Elders, Carbon War Room, B Team and Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship.

Sir Richard was awarded a knighthood for services to entrepreneurship. He lives on Necker Island with his wife Joan, and has two children, Holly and Sam.