Jump to content

Richard Branson

Listen to this article
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Richard Branson
Branson in 2015
Born
Richard Charles Nicholas Branson

(1950-07-18) 18 July 1950 (age 74)
Blackheath, London, England
Occupations
  • Business magnate
  • Author
Years active1966–present
Known forFounder of the Virgin Group
Spouses
Kristen Tomassi
(m. 1972; div. 1979)
Joan Templeman
(m. 1989)
Children3[a]
MotherEve Branson
Relatives
Signature

Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is an English business magnate who co-founded the Virgin Group in 1970, and as of 2016 controlled 5 companies remaining of once more than 400.[1]

Branson expressed his desire to become an entrepreneur at a young age. His first business venture, at the age of 16, was a magazine called Student. In 1970, he set up a mail-order record business. He opened a chain of record stores, Virgin Records—later known as Virgin Megastores—in 1972. Branson's Virgin brand grew rapidly during the 1980s, as he started the Virgin Atlantic airline and expanded the Virgin Records music label. In 1997, Branson founded the Virgin Rail Group to bid for passenger rail franchises during the privatisation of British Rail. The Virgin Trains brand operated the InterCity West Coast franchise from 1997 to 2019, the InterCity CrossCountry franchise from 1997 to 2007, and the InterCity East Coast franchise from 2015 to 2018. In 2004, he founded spaceflight corporation Virgin Galactic, based at Mojave Air and Space Port in California, noted for the SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceplane designed for space tourism.

In March 2000, Branson was knighted at Buckingham Palace for "services to entrepreneurship".[2] Due to his work in retail, music, and transport, his taste for adventure, and for his humanitarian work, he has become a prominent global figure.[3][4] In 2007, he was placed in the Time 100 Most Influential People in the World list. In June 2023, Forbes listed Branson's estimated net worth at US$3 billion.[5]

On 11 July 2021, Branson travelled as a passenger onboard Virgin Galactic Unity 22 at the edge of space, a suborbital test flight for his spaceflight company Virgin Galactic.[6][7] The mission lasted approximately one hour, reaching a peak altitude of 53.5 miles (86.1 km). At 70, Branson became the third oldest person to fly to space.[8]

Early life

[edit]

Richard Charles Nicholas Branson was born on 18 July 1950[9][10] in Blackheath, Royal Borough of Greenwich, London, the son of Edward James Branson (1918–2011), a barrister, and his wife Evette Huntley Branson (née Flindt; 1924–2021), a former ballet dancer and air hostess.[11][12] He has two younger sisters, Lindy and Vanessa.[13] His grandfather, Sir George Arthur Harwin Branson, was a judge of the High Court of Justice and a Privy Councillor.[14]

Branson's great-great-great-grandfather, John Edward Branson, left England for India in 1793; John Edward's father, Harry Wilkins Branson, later joined his son in Madras. Starting from 1793, four generations of Branson's family lived in India, mostly at Cuddalore, in modern-day Tamil Nadu. On the show Finding Your Roots, Branson was shown to have 3.9% South Asian (Indian) DNA, likely through intermarriage.[12] Later, he stated that one of his great-great-great-grandmothers was an Indian named Ariya.[15]

Branson was educated at Scaitcliffe School, a prep school in Surrey, before briefly attending Cliff View House School in Sussex.[16] He attended Stowe School, a private school in Buckinghamshire until the age of sixteen.[16]

Branson has dyslexia, and had poor academic performance; on his last day at school, his headmaster, Robert Drayson, told him he would either end up in prison or become a millionaire.[17][16] Branson has also talked openly about having ADHD.[18] Branson's parents were supportive of his endeavours from an early age.[19] His mother was an entrepreneur; one of her most successful ventures was building and selling wooden tissue boxes and wastepaper bins.[20] In London, he started off squatting from 1967 to 1968.[21]

Branson is an atheist.[22][23] He said in a 2011 interview with CNN's Piers Morgan that he believes in evolution and the importance of humanitarian efforts but not in the existence of God. "I would love to believe," he said. "It's very comforting to believe".[24]

Early business career

[edit]

After failed attempts to grow and sell both Christmas trees and budgerigars, Branson launched a magazine named Student in 1966 with Nik Powell. The first issue of Student appeared in January 1968, and a year later, Branson's net worth was estimated at £50,000. The office for the venture was situated in the crypt of St. John's Church, off Bayswater Road, in London.[25] Though not initially as successful as he hoped, the magazine later became a vital component of the mail-order record business Branson started from the same church he used for Student. Branson used the magazine to advertise popular albums, driving his record sales.[26] He interviewed several prominent personalities of the late 1960s for the magazine including Mick Jagger and R. D. Laing.[27] Branson took over full direction of Student after successfully lying to Powell that the workers at the magazine opposed Powell's plans to turn the magazine into a cooperative.[28][29]

His business sold records for considerably less than the "High Street" outlets, especially the chain WHSmith. Branson once said, "There is no point in starting your own business unless you do it out of a sense of frustration."[30] At the time, many products were sold under restrictive marketing agreements that limited discounting, despite efforts in the 1950s and 1960s to limit retail price maintenance.[note 1]

Branson eventually started a record shop in Oxford Street in London. In 1971, he was questioned in connection with the selling of records declared export stock. The matter was never brought before a court because Branson agreed to repay any unpaid purchase tax of 33% and a £70,000 fine. His parents re-mortgaged the family home to help pay the settlement.[27]

Virgin

[edit]

1972–1980: Founding of Virgin Records

[edit]
The Manor Studio, Richard Branson's recording studio in the manor house at the village of Shipton-on-Cherwell in Oxfordshire

In 1972, using money earned from his record store, Branson launched the record label Virgin Records with Nik Powell. The name "Virgin" was suggested by one of Branson's early employees because they were all new at business.[31] Branson bought a country estate north of Oxford in which he installed a residential recording studio, The Manor Studio.[32] He leased studio time to fledgling artists, including multi-instrumentalist Mike Oldfield, whose debut album Tubular Bells (1973) was the first release for Virgin Records and became a chart-topping best-seller.[33]

Virgin signed controversial bands such as the Sex Pistols, which other companies were reluctant to sign. Virgin Records would go on to sign other artists including the Rolling Stones, Peter Gabriel, XTC, Japan, UB40, Steve Winwood and Paula Abdul, and to become the world's largest independent record label.[34] It also won praise for exposing the public to such lesser known avant-garde music as Faust and Can. Virgin Records also introduced Culture Club to the music world.

Branson's net worth was estimated at £5 million by 1979, and a year later, Virgin Records went international.[citation needed]

1981–1987: Package holiday industries, compilation albums, and Virgin Atlantic

[edit]
Virgin Atlantic Airbus A340 approaching London Heathrow in June 2015

Branson's first successful entry into the airline industry was during a trip to Puerto Rico. His flight was cancelled, so he decided to charter his own plane the rest of the way and offered a ride to the rest of the stranded passengers for a small fee to cover the cost.[35]

In 1982, Virgin purchased the gay bar Heaven. In 1991, in a consortium with David Frost, Branson made an unsuccessful bid for three ITV franchises under the CPV-TV name. The early 1980s also saw his only attempt as a producer—on the novelty record "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep", by The Singing Sheep in association with Doug McLean and Grace McDonald, on which he was credited as "Jeff Mutton". The track consisted of samples of animal noises recorded at his aunt Claire Hoares' farm in Norfolk, set to a drum-machine-produced track and reached number 42 in the UK charts in 1982.[36]

In 1983, Now That's What I Call Music! emerged from Virgin Records offices as a unique compilation series, distinct in its originality. Collaborating with EMI, Peter Jamieson orchestrated the partnership on Richard Branson's boat, leading to the concise and impactful title "Now That's What I Call Music!," inspired by a Danish Bacon poster[37] gifted to Simon Draper. Richard Branson's introduction to the antique shop owned by Joan Templeman,[38] played a pivotal role in his growing fascination with old signs and advertisements, ultimately shaping the collection.[39]

Branson formed Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Cargo in 1984. He formed Virgin Holidays in 1985.

1988–2000: Telecoms ventures, railways, and worldwide impact

[edit]
Virgin Trains West Coast Class 390 Pendolino at Lichfield in August 2011

In 1992, to keep his airline company afloat, Branson sold the Virgin label to EMI for £500 million.[40] Branson said that he wept when the sale was completed because the record business had been the very start of the Virgin empire. He created V2 Records in 1996 to re-enter the music business, owning 5% himself.[41] Virgin also acquired European short-haul airline Euro Belgian Airlines and renamed it Virgin Express. In 1997, Branson took what many saw as being one of his riskier business exploits by entering into the railway business during the privatisation of British Rail in the late 1990s. Virgin Rail Group won the InterCity CrossCountry and InterCity West Coast franchises, beginning operations in January and March 1997 respectively.[42][43] Both franchises were scheduled to run for 15 years.[44][45]

A series of disputes in the early 1990s caused tension between Virgin Atlantic and British Airways, which viewed Virgin as an emerging competitor. Virgin subsequently accused British Airways of poaching its passengers, hacking its computers, and leaking stories to the press that portrayed Virgin negatively. After the so-called campaign of "dirty tricks", British Airways settled the case, giving £500,000 to Branson, a further £110,000 to his airline, and had to pay legal fees of up to £3 million. Branson distributed his compensation (the so-called "BA bonus") among his staff.[46]

Branson launched Virgin Mobile in 1999, and airline Virgin Blue in Australia in 2000.[47]

2001–2007: Entry into space travel and Virgin Media

[edit]
Branson in 2001

On 25 September 2004, Branson announced the signing of a deal under which a new space tourism company, Virgin Galactic, will license the technology behind SpaceShipOne—funded by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and designed by aeronautical engineer Burt Rutan—to take paying passengers into suborbital outer space. Virgin Galactic plans to make flights available to the public with tickets priced at US$200,000 using the Scaled Composites White Knight Two.[48] The spacecraft, SpaceShipTwo, is manufactured by The Spaceship Company, which was founded by Branson and Rutan and is now solely owned by Virgin Galactic. In 2013, Branson said that he planned to take his two children, 31-year-old Holly and 28-year-old Sam, on a trip to outer space when they ride the SpaceShipTwo rocket plane on its first public flight, then planned for 2014.[49] As part of his promotion of the firm, Branson has added a variation of the Virgin Galactic livery to his personal business jet, the Dassault Falcon 900EX "Galactic Girl" (G-GALX).[50][51]

He was ninth in The Sunday Times Rich List 2006 of the wealthiest people or families in the UK, worth slightly more than £3 billion. Branson wrote in his autobiography of the decision to start an airline.

My interest in life comes from setting myself huge, apparently unachievable challenges and trying to rise above them ... from the perspective of wanting to live life to the full, I felt that I had to attempt it.

In 2006, through a merger with SN Brussels Airlines, Virgin Airlines formed Brussels Airlines, while retaining its separate listing.[52] It also started a national airline based in Nigeria, called Virgin Nigeria, which ceased operations in 2009.[53] Another airline, Virgin America, began flying out of San Francisco International Airport in August 2007.[54][55]

Branson's next venture with the Virgin group was Virgin Fuels, which was set up to respond to global warming and exploit the recent spike in fuel costs by offering a revolutionary, cheaper fuel for automobiles and, in the near future, aircraft. Branson has stated that he was formerly a global warming sceptic and was influenced in his decision by a breakfast meeting with Al Gore.[56]

On 21 September 2006, Branson pledged to invest the profits of Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Trains in research for environmentally-friendly fuels. The investment is estimated to be worth $3 billion.[57][58]

On 4 July 2006, Branson sold his Virgin Mobile company to UK cable TV, broadband, and telephone company NTL:Telewest for £900 million. A new company was launched with much fanfare and publicity on 8 February 2007, under the name Virgin Media. The decision to merge his Virgin Media Company with NTL was made in order to integrate compatible areas of the two businesses. Whilst Branson had owned three-quarters of Virgin Mobile, he would now get paid £8.5 million per annum for the use of the Virgin brand name. He does not own any part of Virgin Media.[59]

In 2006, Branson formed Virgin Comics and Virgin Animation, an entertainment company focused on creating new stories and characters for a global audience. The company was founded with author Deepak Chopra, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, and entrepreneurs Sharad Devarajan and Gotham Chopra.[60] Branson also launched the Virgin Health Bank on 1 February 2007, offering parents-to-be the opportunity to store their baby's umbilical cord blood stem cells in private and public stem-cell banks.

In June 2006, a tip-off from Virgin Atlantic led both UK and US competition authorities to investigate price-fixing attempts between Virgin Atlantic and British Airways. In August 2007, British Airways was fined £271 million over the allegations. Virgin Atlantic was given immunity for tipping off the authorities and received no fine—a controversial decision the Office of Fair Trading defended as being in the public interest.[61]

Branson with Alberto Hazan in June 2007 helping launch Virgin Radio Italia

On 9 February 2007, Branson announced the setting up of a new global science and technology prize—The Virgin Earth Challenge—in the belief that history has shown that prizes of this nature encourage technological advancements for the good of mankind. The Virgin Earth Challenge was to award $25 million to the individual or group who are able to demonstrate a commercially viable design that will result in the net removal of anthropogenic, atmospheric greenhouse gases each year for at least ten years without countervailing harmful effects. This removal must have long-term effects and contribute materially to the stability of the Earth's climate. Branson also announced that he would be joined in the adjudication of the prize by a panel of five judges, all world authorities in their respective fields: Al Gore, Sir Crispin Tickell, Tim Flannery, James E. Hansen, and James Lovelock.

In July 2007, Branson purchased his Australian home, Makepeace Island, in Noosa.[62] In August 2007, Branson announced that he had bought a 20-per cent stake in Malaysia's AirAsia X.[63]

On 13 October 2007, Branson's Virgin Group sought to add Northern Rock to its empire after submitting an offer that would result in Branson personally owning 30% of the company and changing the company's name from Northern Rock to Virgin Money.[64] The Daily Mail ran a campaign against his bid; Vince Cable, financial spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, suggested in the House of Commons that Branson's criminal conviction for tax evasion might be felt by some as a good enough reason not to trust him with public money.[65]

In September 2023, Branson declared his decision against injecting additional funds into Virgin Galactic, his space travel company experiencing financial losses. He highlighted that his business empire no longer possesses extensive financial resources, indicating constraints on further investment.[66]

2008–2019: Hotels, healthcare and charitable influence

[edit]

On 9 January 2008, Virgin Healthcare announced that it would open a chain of health care clinics that would offer conventional medical care alongside homeopathic and complementary therapies, a development that was welcomed by Ben Bradshaw, the UK's health minister.[67]

Plans where GPs could be paid for referring National Health Service (NHS) patients to private Virgin services were abandoned in June 2008. The BMA warned the plan would "damage clinical objectivity", there would be a financial incentive for GPs to push patients toward the Virgin services at the centre.[68] Plans to take over an NHS Practice in Swindon were abandoned in late September 2008.[69]

Branson in April 2009 at the launch of Virgin America in Orange County, California

In February 2009, Branson's Virgin organization was reported as bidding to buy the former Honda Formula One team. Branson later stated an interest in Formula One, but claimed that, before the Virgin brand became involved with Honda or any other team, Formula One would have to develop a more economically efficient and environmentally responsible image. At the start of the 2009 Formula One season on 28 March, it was announced that Virgin would be sponsoring the new Brawn GP team,[70] with discussions also under way about introducing a less "dirty" fuel in the medium term.[71] After the end of the season and the subsequent purchase of Brawn GP by Mercedes-Benz, Branson invested in an 80% buyout of Manor Grand Prix,[72][73] with the team being renamed Virgin Racing.

In 2010, Virgin Hotels was launched under the Virgin Group. In February 2018, Branson announced the first Virgin hotel in the UK would open in Edinburgh.[74]

Branson and Tony Fernandes, owner of Air Asia and Lotus F1 Racing, had a bet for the 2010 F1 season where the losing team's boss should work on the winner's airline during a charity flight dressed as a stewardess. Fernandes escaped as the bet winner, as Lotus Racing ended tenth in the championship, while Virgin Racing ended twelfth and last. Branson kept his word after losing the bet, as he served his duty as a stewardess on an Air Asia flight between Perth and Kuala Lumpur on 12 May 2013.[75]

Branson at the Time 100 Gala in May 2010. Known for his informal dress code,[76] this was a rare occasion he didn't wear an open shirt.

In 2010, Branson became patron of the UK's Gordon Bennett 2010 gas balloon race, which has 16 hydrogen balloons flying across Europe.[77]

In April 2012, Virgin Care commenced a five-year contract for provision of a range of health services which had previously been under the aegis of NHS Surrey, the local primary care trust.[78] By March 2015, Virgin Care was in charge of more than 230 services nationwide.[79]

In July 2012, Branson announced plans to build an orbital space launch system, designated LauncherOne.[80] Four commercial customers have already contracted for launches and two companies are developing standardised satellite buses optimised to the design of LauncherOne, in expectation of business opportunities created by the new smallsat launcher.[81]

In August 2012, when re-tendered the InterCity West Coast franchise was awarded to FirstGroup after a competitive tender process overseen by the Department for Transport. Branson had expressed his concerns about the tender process and questioned the validity of the business plan submitted by FirstGroup. When Virgin Rail lost the contract, Branson said he was convinced the civil servants had "got their maths wrong". In October, after an investigation into the bidding process, the deal was scrapped. The Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin announced there were "significant technical flaws" in the process and mistakes had been made by transport staff. Virgin Rail continued to operate the West Coast line until 7 December 2019, when it was replaced by Avanti West Coast.[82]

In September 2014, Branson announced his investment in drone company 3D Robotics stating, "It's amazing to see what a little flying object with a GoPro attached can do. Before they came along the alternative was an expensive helicopter and crew. I'm really excited about the potential 3D Robotics sees in drones. They can do a lot of good in the world, and I hope this affordable technology will give many more people the chance to see our beautiful planet from such a powerful perspective."[83]

In 2014, Branson launched the "Foodpreneur" food and drink-focused start-up competition. Winners were provided with mentorship from Branson, legal support, and brand counseling.[84] The 2014 winners included Proper Beans, Killer Tomato, Sweetpea Pantry and Sweet Virtues. In 2015, the competition expanded to the Virgin StartUp's Foodpreneur Festival. The 2015 winners were given the opportunity to pitch Target Corporation buyers. The 2015 winners included Pip & Nut, Double Dutch Drinks, Harry Bromptons, Cauli Rice and Mallow and Marsh.[85]

In March 2015, Virgin Trains East Coast commenced operating the InterCity East Coast franchise; the company was a joint venture between Stagecoach (90%) and Virgin Group (10%).[86][87] Due to the line performing below VTEC's expectations, it was announced in May 2018 that the contract would be terminated early by the government. VTEC ceased operating on 23 June 2018 and operations passed to a government-owned operator, London North Eastern Railway.[88]

In November 2015, Branson announced the addition of Moskito Island to the Virgin Limited Edition portfolio. This resort, The Branson Estate on Moskito Island, offers 11 bedrooms for 22 guests.[89]

Branson and Argentina's President Mauricio Macri, 22 January 2016

In 2017, Virgin Group invested in Hyperloop One, developing a strategic partnership between the two. Branson joined the board of directors,[90] and in December 2017, became its chairman.[91] The announced winner of the 2017 Virgin StartUp's Foodpreneur prize was The Snaffling Pig Co., which won a six-week rental space at Intu Lakeside, the retail center with the highest foot traffic in the United Kingdom.[92]

In October 2017, Branson appeared on the Season 9 Premiere of Shark Tank as a guest investor,[93] where he invested in Locker Board,[94] a sustainable line of skateboards invented by 11-year-old, Carson Kropfl.[95] Branson told the young business man that he reminded him of himself.[96] Branson became the richest Shark to have appeared on the show.[97]

In April 2018, Branson announced the acquisition of the Las Vegas based Hard Rock Casino-Hotel with plans to re-brand the property under his Virgin Hotels business.[98] Virgin Hotels Las Vegas opened on 25 March 2021.

In May 2018, it was announced that he would become a partner in a private equity fund that will be co-managed by Metric Capital. The fund will seek out consumer goods firms to invest in.[99][100]

In September 2018, Branson took part in his fourth Virgin Strive Challenge, where he and a core team travelled more than 2,000 km from Cagliari in Sardinia to the summit of Mont Blanc entirely under human and sail power. It was a gruelling month-long challenge where they hiked, biked and kayaked across Europe and had a near-miss on Mont Blanc when a rockfall rained down on them as they crossed the perilous Gouter Couloir. They raised more than £1m for Holly and Sam Branson's charity Big Change, which supports young people.[101]

In February 2019, Branson helped organise an international benefit concert, Venezuela Aid Live, to bring worldwide attention to the humanitarian crisis and raise funds for humanitarian aid. The concert took place on 22 February in Cúcuta, Colombia, on the Venezuelan border.

2020–present: COVID-19 difficulties

[edit]

In March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic which saw a dramatic decline in international air travel of around 60% globally,[102] Branson and Virgin attracted criticism by asking staff to take eight weeks' unpaid leave.[103] In response to the global pandemic, Branson put his luxury Necker Island up as collateral for a commercial loan to save Virgin Atlantic from going bust.[104] Branson said: "Over the five decades I have been in business, this is the most challenging time we have ever faced... From a business perspective, the damage to many is unprecedented and the length of the disruption remains worryingly unknown."[105] On 5 May 2020, it was announced that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the airline would lay off 3000 staff, reduce the fleet size to 35 by the summer of 2022, retire the Boeing 747-400s[106] and would not resume operations from Gatwick following the pandemic.[107]

On 11 July 2021, Richard Branson took a flight with Beth Moses, Sirisha Bandla and Colin Bennett and reached edge of space (86 kilometers or 53 miles) on a Virgin Galactic spacecraft called VSS Unity. This made him the first billionaire founder of a space company to travel to the edge of space.[108]

Failed business ventures

[edit]

Branson has been involved in a number of failed business ventures, such as Virgin Cola, Virgin Cars, Virgin Publishing, Virgin Clothing and Virgin Brides.[109][110] However, Branson holds an optimistic view of failure. He has written: "I suppose the secret to bouncing back is not only to be unafraid of failures but to use them as motivational and learning tools... There's nothing wrong with making mistakes as long as you don't make the same ones over and over again."[111]

World record attempts

[edit]
The capsule from the Virgin Atlantic Flyer balloon on display at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford, England
A 1998 attempt at an around-the-world balloon flight by Branson, Steve Fossett, and Per Lindstrand ends in the Pacific Ocean on 25 December 1998.

Branson made several world record-breaking attempts after 1985, when in the spirit of the Blue Riband he attempted the fastest Atlantic Ocean crossing by ship. His first attempt in the Virgin Atlantic Challenger led to the boat capsizing in British waters and a rescue by Royal Navy helicopter, which received wide media coverage. Some newspapers called for Branson to reimburse the government for the rescue cost. In 1986, in his Virgin Atlantic Challenger II, he beat the record by two hours with sailing expert Daniel McCarthy.[112] A year later his hot air balloon Virgin Atlantic Flyer crossed the Atlantic.[113]

In January 1991, Branson crossed the Pacific from Japan to Arctic Canada, 6,700 miles (10,800 km), in a balloon of 2,600,000 cubic feet (74,000 m3). This broke the record, with a speed of 145 miles per hour (233 km/h).[114]

Between 1995 and 1998, Branson, Per Lindstrand, Vladimir Dzhanibekov, Larry Newman, and Steve Fossett made attempts to circumnavigate the globe by balloon. In late 1998, they made a record-breaking flight from Morocco to Hawaii but were unable to complete a global flight before Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones in Breitling Orbiter 3 in March 1999.

In March 2004, Branson set a record by travelling from Dover to Calais in a Gibbs Aquada in 1 hour, 40 minutes and 6 seconds, the fastest crossing of the English Channel in an amphibious vehicle. The previous record of six hours was set by two Frenchmen.[115] The cast of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond, attempted to break this record in 2007 with an amphibious vehicle which they had constructed and, while successfully crossing the channel, did not break Branson's record. After being intercepted by the Coast Guard and asked what their intentions were, Clarkson remarked "...our intentions are to go across the Channel faster than 'Beardy' Branson!". The Coast Guard wished them 'Good luck and Bon Voyage'.[116]

In September 2008, Branson and his children made an unsuccessful attempt at an eastbound record crossing of the Atlantic Ocean under sail in the 99-foot (30 m) sloop Virgin Money.[117] The boat, also known as Speedboat, is owned by NYYC member Alex Jackson, who was a co-skipper on this passage, with Branson and Mike Sanderson. After two days, four hours, winds of force 7 to 9 (strong gale), and seas of 40 feet (12 m), a 'monster wave' destroyed the spinnaker, washed a ten-man life raft overboard and severely ripped the mainsail. The sloop eventually continued to St. George's, Bermuda.[118]

Television, film and print

[edit]
Branson at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival

Branson has guest starred, usually playing himself, on several television shows, including Friends, Baywatch, Birds of a Feather, Only Fools and Horses, The Day Today, a special episode of the comedy Goodness Gracious Me and Tripping Over. Branson made several appearances during the 1990s on the BBC Saturday morning show Live & Kicking, where he was referred to as 'the pickle man' by comedy act Trev and Simon (in reference to Branston Pickle).[119]

Branson also appears in a cameo early in XTC's "Generals and Majors" video. He was also the star of a reality television show on Fox called The Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best (2004), in which sixteen contestants were tested for their entrepreneurship and sense of adventure and only lasted one season.[109]

His high public profile often leaves him open as a figure of satire—the 2000 AD series Zenith features a parody of Branson as a supervillain, as the comic's publisher and favoured distributor and the Virgin group were in competition at the time. He is also caricatured in The Simpsons episode "Monty Can't Buy Me Love" as the tycoon Arthur Fortune, as the ballooning megalomaniac Richard Chutney (a pun on Branson, as in Branston Pickle) in Believe Nothing, and voiced himself in "The Princess Guide". The character Grandson Richard 39 in Terry Pratchett's Wings is modelled on Branson.

He has a cameo appearance in several films: Around the World in 80 Days (2004), where he played a hot-air balloon operator, and Superman Returns (2006), where he was credited as a 'Shuttle Engineer' and appeared alongside his son, Sam, with a Virgin Galactic-style commercial suborbital shuttle at the centre of his storyline. He also has a cameo in the James Bond film Casino Royale (2006). Here, he is seen as a passenger going through Miami Airport security check-in and being frisked – several Virgin Atlantic planes appear soon after. British Airways edited out Branson's cameo in their in-flight screening of the movie.[120] He makes a number of brief and disjointed appearances in the documentary Derek and Clive Get the Horn (1979), which follows the exploits of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore recording their final comedy album. Branson and his mother were also featured in the documentary film Lemonade Stories. On the TV series Rove Live in early 2006, Rove McManus and Sir Richard pushed each other into a swimming pool fully clothed live on TV during a "Live at your house" episode.

Branson is a Star Trek fan and named his new spaceship VSS Enterprise in honour of the Star Trek spaceships, and in 2006, reportedly offered actor William Shatner a ride on the inaugural space launch of Virgin Galactic. In an interview in Time magazine, published on 10 August 2009, Shatner claimed that Branson approached him asking how much he would pay for a ride on the spaceship. In response, Shatner asked "how much would you pay me to do it?"

In August 2007, Branson announced on The Colbert Report that he had named a new aircraft Air Colbert. He later doused political satirist and talk show host Stephen Colbert with water from his mug. Branson subsequently took a retaliatory splash from Colbert. The interview quickly ended, with both laughing[121] as shown on the episode aired on Comedy Central on 22 August 2007. The interview was promoted on The Report as the Colbert-Branson Interview Trainwreck. Branson then made a cameo appearance in The Soup, playing an intern working under Joel McHale who had been warned against getting into water fights with Stephen Colbert, and being subsequently fired.

In March 2008, he launched Virgin Mobile in India; during that period, he made a cameo appearance in Bollywood film London Dreams.[122] In July 2010, Branson narrated Australian sailor Jessica Watson's documentary about her solo sailing trip around the world.

In April 2011, Branson appeared on CNN's Mainsail with Kate Winslet.[123] Together they re-enacted a famous scene from the 1997 film Titanic for the cameras.[124][better source needed] On 17 August 2011, he was featured in the premiere episode of Hulu's first long-form original production entitled, A Day in the Life.[125]

At the 2012 Pride of Britain Awards on ITV on 30 October, Branson, along with Michael Caine, Elton John, Simon Cowell and Stephen Fry, recited Rudyard Kipling's poem "If—" in tribute to the 2012 British Olympic and Paralympics athletes.[126]

In 1998, Branson released his autobiography, titled Losing My Virginity, an international best-seller.[127] Branson was deeply saddened by the disappearance of fellow adventurer Steve Fossett in September 2007; the following month he wrote an article for Time magazine, titled "My Friend, Steve Fossett".[128]

Humanitarian initiatives

[edit]

In the late 1990s, Branson and musician Peter Gabriel discussed with Nelson Mandela their idea of a small group of leaders working to solve difficult global conflicts.[129] On 18 July 2007, in Johannesburg, South Africa, Mandela announced the formation of a new group, The Elders. Kofi Annan served as Chair of The Elders and Gro Harlem Brundtland as deputy chair. The Elders is funded by a group of donors, including Branson and Gabriel.

Richard Branson with his mother Eve, and the board of directors of the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, April 2014

In 1999, Branson became a founding sponsor of the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children ("ICMEC"), the goal of which is to help find missing children, and to stop the exploitation of children, as his mother Eve became a founding member of ICMEC's board of directors.[130][131]

Through the Carbon War Room, founded in 2009, the entrepreneur sought solutions for global warming and the energy crisis. "We all have a part to play, but I believe entrepreneurs will have a really significant role to play in bringing investment and commercial skills to help develop the new technologies needed to grow a post-carbon economy", he said in his interview with Vision. Through Carbon War Room initiative he has focused efforts on finding sustainable alternatives for three industry sectors: shipping, energy efficiency and aviation and renewable jet fuels.[132]

He also launched Virgin Startup, an official delivery partner for the UK's Start Up Loans programme. Through this new organisation, he provided loans to entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 30 UK-wide. A pilot of the scheme, which ran over 11 months, injected £600,000 into 100 businesses.[132]

Branson's other work in South Africa includes the Branson School of Entrepreneurship, set up in 2005 as a partnership between Virgin Unite, the non-profit foundation of Virgin, and entrepreneur Taddy Blecher, the founder of CIDA City Campus, a university in Johannesburg. The school aims to improve economic growth in South Africa by supporting start-ups and micro-enterprises with skills, mentors, services, networks and finance arrangements.[133][134] Fundraising activity to support the school is achieved by The Sunday Times Fast Track 100, sponsored by Virgin Group, at its yearly event, where places to join Richard Branson on trips to South Africa to provide coaching and mentoring to students are auctioned to attendees. In 2009, Jason Luckhurst and Boyd Kershaw of Practicus, Martin Ainscough of the Ainscough Group and Matthew Riley of Daisy Communications helped raise £150,000 through the auction.[135]

In March 2008, Branson hosted an environmental gathering at his private island, Necker Island, in the Caribbean with several entrepreneurs, celebrities, and world leaders. They discussed global warming-related problems, hoping that the meeting would be a precursor to future discussions regarding similar problems. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales, and Larry Page of Google were in attendance.[136]

On 8 May 2009, Branson took over Mia Farrow's hunger strike for three days in protest of the Sudanese government expulsion of aid groups from the Darfur region.[137] In 2010, he and the Nduna Foundation (founded by Amy Robbins), and Humanity United (an organization backed by Pam Omidyar, the wife of eBay founder Pierre Omidyar) founded Enterprise Zimbabwe.[138]

Branson at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012

Branson is a signatory of Global Zero campaign, a non-profit international initiative for the elimination of all nuclear weapons worldwide.[139] Since its launch in Paris in December 2008,[140] Global Zero has grown to 300 leaders, including current and former heads of state, national security officials and military commanders, and 400,000 citizens worldwide; developed a practical step-by-step plan to eliminate nuclear weapons; launched an international student campaign with 75 campus chapters in eight countries; and produced a documentary film, Countdown to Zero, in partnership with Lawrence Bender and Participant Media.[141]

Since 2010, Branson has served as a Commissioner on the Broadband Commission for Digital Development, a UN initiative which promotes universal access to broadband services.[142] In 2011, Branson served on the Global Commission on Drug Policy with former political and cultural leaders of Latin America and elsewhere, "in a bid to boost the effort to achieve more humane and rational drug laws."[143]

In December 2013, Branson urged companies to boycott Uganda because of its "anti-homosexuality bill". Branson stated that it would be "against my conscience to support this country...governments must realize that people should be able to love whoever they want."[144]

In 2014, Branson joined forces with African Wildlife Foundation and partner WildAid for the "Say No" Campaign, an initiative to bring public awareness to the issues of wildlife poaching and trafficking.[145]

Branson is an opponent of the death penalty, stating: "the death penalty is always cruel, barbaric and inhumane. It has no place in the world."[146] In 2015, Branson released a letter in support of American inmate Richard Glossip on the day he was due to be executed,[147] and in 2021 Branson was among the public figures who called on Singapore to halt the execution of Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam, a Malaysian drug trafficker who was convicted and sentenced to Singapore's death row for heroin trafficking.[148] After Nagaenthran was executed by hanging at Changi Prison, Branson expressed disappointment in Singapore for its "relentless machinery of death" since it left "no room for decency, dignity, compassion, or mercy".[149] In October 2022, the Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs invited Branson to Singapore for a live televised debate on Singapore's approach towards drugs and the death penalty with K Shanmugam, Singapore's Minister for Home Affairs and Law.[150] Branson rejected the offer.[151] In 2023, Branson once again spoke up against Singapore's stance of capital punishment when he protested against the upcoming execution of Tangaraju Suppiah, a 46-year-old Singaporean who was found guilty of trafficking 1 kg of marijuana and scheduled to hang on 26 April 2023, and Branson claimed that Tangaraju was "innocent" of the crime he was convicted for.[152] Before the execution of Saridewi Djamani on 28 July 2023, Branson also appealed for mercy on Saridewi's behalf; Saridewi was the first female offender to be executed in Singapore, 19 years after the hanging of Yen May Woen in 2004.[153][154]

In October 2018, Branson spoke out for Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who was killed by Saudi authorities in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey by suspending his advisory role from Saudi Arabia's biggest Red Sea tourism project. He issued a statement saying, "The disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, if proved true, would clearly change the ability of any of us in the West to do business with the Saudi Government."[155][156]

On 1 December 2020 Virgin Orbit launched The Patti Grace Smith Fellowship, designed to offer paid work experience and mentorship in the aerospace industry for 'extraordinary Black students.'[157]

On 10 April 2023 Richard Branson became an ambassador for the United24 fundraising platform.[158] Іn connection with these events Virgin Unite announced program of evacuations of children with cancer to the world's leading clinics, in cooperation with Tabletochki foundation.[159]

Climate change pledge

[edit]
Branson discusses climate change with the United States Secretary of State John Kerry in 2016.

In 2006, Branson made a high-profile pledge to invest $3 billion toward addressing global warming over the course of the following decade.[160][161] However, author and activist Naomi Klein has criticised Branson for contributing "well under $300 million" as of 2014, far below the originally stated goal.[162] Additionally, Klein says Virgin airlines' greenhouse gas emissions increased considerably in the years following his pledge.[163]

B Team

[edit]

Branson is the co-founder of the B Team, a global nonprofit organization that was founded in 2013 by a group of business leaders who are committed to using their influence to drive positive change and promote sustainable business practice. The B Team has several focus areas, including climate action, human rights, and responsible tax practices. The organisation also advocates for gender equality and diversity and inclusion in the workplace, recognizing that these issues are critical to achieving sustainable business practices.[164][165]

Politics

[edit]

In the 1980s, Branson was briefly given the post of "litter Tsar" by Margaret Thatcher—charged with "keeping Britain tidy".[166][167] During the BBC Coverage of the 1997 UK General Election, Branson was interviewed at the Labour Party celebrations at the Royal Festival Hall.[168] In 2005, he declared that there were only negligible differences between the two main parties on economic matters.[169] He was suggested as a candidate for Mayor of London before the first 2000 election, with polls indicating he would be a viable candidate, but he did not express interest.[170][171][172]

In March 2015, Branson said that almost all drug use should be decriminalised in the UK, following the example of Portugal.[173]

Branson supported continuing British membership of the European Union and was opposed to the 2016 referendum.[174] On 28 June 2016, interviewed for ITV's Good Morning Britain, he said that his company had lost a third of its value as a result of the referendum result and that a planned venture, employing more than 3,000 people, which he had announced before the referendum, had been shelved. He gave his backing for a second referendum.[175] Branson endorsed Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the run-up for the 2016 US presidential election.[176]

Branson openly criticised the Philippine drug war marred by allegations of extrajudicial killings.[177] In September 2016, he, along with former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour and former Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso, wrote a letter to then-Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte calling on his government to halt the killings and develop evidence-based policies to address the Philippines' drug situation.[178]

After expressing his opposition to the death penalty for crimes such as drug trafficking, in October 2022, Branson was invited by Singapore's government to participate in a live television debate regarding this country's approach to drugs and the death penalty. However, Branson declined this invitation, stating that such debates often focus on the personalities rather than the issue itself.[179]

Honours and awards

[edit]
Waxwork of Branson at Madame Tussauds, London

Tax evasion

[edit]

In 1971 Branson was convicted for tax evasion and was briefly jailed, for one night, having fraudulently obtained export documents for records to be sold on the domestic market to avoid paying Purchase Tax.[197][198] Customs officials caught onto the scheme and executed a sting operation, marking records bought for the international market with invisible ink and subsequently buying them on the domestic market. Branson was advised of the sting by an anonymous tip-off and attempted to dispose of the evidence, but this was unsuccessful.[197][198]

Branson's business empire is owned by a complicated series of offshore trusts and companies. The Sunday Times stated that his wealth is calculated at £3 billion; if he were to retire to his Caribbean island and liquidate all of this, he would pay relatively little in tax.[199] Branson has been criticised for his business strategy, and has been accused of being a carpetbagger.[200][201][202] Branson responded that he is living on Necker for health rather than tax reasons.[203]

In 2013, Branson described himself as a "tax exile", having saved millions in tax by ending his mainland British residency and living in the British Virgin Islands.[204] This was echoed by the then Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Labour's John McDonnell, in 2016, amid calls for his knighthood to be revoked.[205]

Personal life

[edit]

Branson married Kristen Tomassi in 1972 and divorced her in 1979. They had no children together. In 1976, Branson met Joan Templeman and later began a relationship with her. Three children were born during the course of the relationship: daughter Clare Sarah (b. 1979) who died only four days after birth; another daughter Holly (b. 1981) and a son Sam (b. 1985).[206][207] In 1989, Branson and Templeman married on Necker Island.[38]

In 2017, Branson's Necker Island home was left uninhabitable after Hurricane Irma.[208] It was the second time the Necker Island home had been severely damaged, after the building caught fire when it was struck by lightning caused by Hurricane Irene in 2011.[209] Branson's mother Eve died from COVID-19 complications in January 2021 at the age of 96. A celebration of her life was posted online by her son.[210]

In 2007, Branson was ordained as a minister by the Universal Life Church Monastery to conduct an on-flight wedding as part of a marketing effort for domestic flights in the USA on Virgin America airline.[211] From 2013 to 2017, he served as President of the Old Stoic Society of Stowe School.[212][213]

In November 2017, singer Antonia Jenae, a backing singer for Joss Stone, claimed Branson sexually assaulted her at Necker Island by "putting his head between her cleavage and making boat engine noises", a practice that, when performed consensually, is known as motorboating.[214] A spokesperson for Branson confirmed to The Sun newspaper that members of the band had been invited for a party on the island in 2010, but that he and friends and family in attendance had "no recollection" of the events and that "there would never have been any intention to offend or make anyone feel uncomfortable. Richard apologises if anyone felt that way."[214][215]

Branson is an experienced kitesurfer, and set two world records in the sport. The first was as the oldest person to kitesurf across the English Channel.[216] Then in 2014 he broke the Guinness World Record for most people riding a surfboard by kiting with three women attached to him, including professional kiteboarder Susi Mai and entrepreneur Alison Di Spaltro.[217][218] Also an avid cyclist, in August 2016 he was injured while riding his bicycle in the British Virgin Islands, resulting in torn ligaments and a cracked cheek.[219]

Influences

[edit]

Branson has stated in a number of interviews that he has been much influenced by non-fiction books. He most commonly mentions Nelson Mandela's autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, explaining that Mandela was "one of the most inspiring men I have ever met and had the honour to call my friend." Owing to his interest in humanitarian and ecological issues, Branson also lists Al Gore's best-selling book, An Inconvenient Truth, and The Revenge of Gaia by James Lovelock among his favourites. According to Branson's book, Screw It, Let's Do It: Lessons in Life, he is also a fan of Jung Chang's Wild Swans and Antony Beevor's Stalingrad.[220][221] In fiction, Branson has long admired the character Peter Pan,[222] and in 2006, he founded Virgin Comics LLC, stating that Virgin Comics will give "a whole generation of young, creative thinkers a voice".[223][224]

Bibliography

[edit]

Audiobook

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ One child is deceased.
  1. ^ Another example was the Net Book Agreement, which limited the ability of book outlets, including discount book clubs, to offer deep discounts.

References

[edit]
  1. ^
  2. ^ "Virgin tycoon is knighted". BBC News. 3 January 2016. Archived from the original on 9 January 2003. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
  3. ^ Barling, Julian. The Sage Handbook of Organizational Behavior: Volume Two: Macro Approaches. Sage. p. 383.
  4. ^ "Thirty of the very best of British". The Daily Telegraph. 13 November 2016. Archived from the original on 9 April 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Richard Branson". Forbes. Archived from the original on 20 April 2020. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  6. ^ Chang, Kenneth (11 July 2021). "Branson Completes Virgin Galactic Flight, Aiming to Open Up Space Tourism". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  7. ^ Chow, Denise (20 July 2021). "Amazon's Jeff Bezos makes history with all-civilian suborbital flight". NBC News. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  8. ^ Kurkowski, Seth (11 July 2021). "Live Blog: Virgin Galactic to launch Richard Branson and Unity22 crew to space". Space Explored. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Branson, Sir Richard (Charles Nicholas)". Who's Who. Vol. 2014 (online Oxford University Press ed.). A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  10. ^ "Famous birthdays for July 18: Vin Diesel, Kristen Bell". United Press International. 18 July 2019. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019. Businessman Richard Branson in 1950 (age 69)
  11. ^ "Edward Branson". The Daily Telegraph. London. 8 May 2011. Archived from the original on 8 April 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
    – "Births", The Times, 12 July 1950, p. 1
  12. ^ a b [1] Archived 15 February 2016 at the Wayback Machine Finding Your Roots, 2 February 2016, PBS
  13. ^ Myskow, Nina (13 March 2013). "Like mother, like son". Saga magazine. Archived from the original on 5 November 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  14. ^ "Forthcoming Marriages", The Times, 22 June 1949, p. 7.
  15. ^ "Billionaire Richard Branson Reveals India Connection In Insta Post". NDTV.com. 12 December 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  16. ^ a b c Richard Branson. "At school I was dyslexic and a dunce.", The Times, London, 11 September 1998, p. 19
  17. ^ "Famous Dyslexics: Richard Branson (entrepreneur)". Defeat Dyslexia. 9 July 2015.
  18. ^ "Learn About the Stories of 8 of the World's Most Successful People with ADHD". University of the People. 22 January 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  19. ^ Shavinina, Larisa V. (December 2006). "Micro-social factors in the development of entrepreneurial giftedness: the case of Richard Branson". High Ability Studies. 17 (2): 225–235. doi:10.1080/13598130601121482. ISSN 1359-8139. S2CID 145055396.
  20. ^ Branson, Richard (2014). The Virgin Way: Everything I know about leadership. New York: Portfolio/Penguin.
  21. ^ "Famous faces who took rent-free route". The Guardian. 21 July 1999. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  22. ^ "What Religion is Richard Branson?". 10 August 2020.
  23. ^ "Top 10 Most Famous Atheists in the World". 3 May 2016.
  24. ^ "Famous atheists and their beliefs". CNN. 26 May 2013.
  25. ^ "How an Anglican Church Bootstrapped Virgin Records". www.garlandpollard.com. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  26. ^ Russell, Mallory (21 April 2012). "Richard Branson's Fails: 14 Virgin Companies That Went Bust". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  27. ^ a b Branson, Richard (2011). Losing My Virginity. Ebury Publishing. ISBN 978-1446483343.
  28. ^ Nathan, Robinson (2021). "How Billionaires See Themselves". Current Affairs. He had left a draft of a memo, which he was writing to the staff. It was a plan to get rid of me as publisher and editor, to take editorial and financial control of Student, and to turn it into a cooperative. I would become just part of the team, and everyone would share equally in the editorial direction of the magazine. I was shocked. I felt that Nik, my closest friend, was betraying me... I decided to bluff my way through the crisis... [If the staff were] undecided, then I could drive a wedge between Nik and the rest of them and cut Nik out.
  29. ^ "Remembering Nik Powell, Virgin Records co-founder and film producer". The Independent. 26 November 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  30. ^ Johnson, Kieron. "Richard Branson: Your business will fail unless you know your customers and 'experience their pain'". Business Insider.
  31. ^ Richard Branson – Losing my Virginity
  32. ^ "Richard Branson Biography". The Biography.com website. A&E Television Networks. Archived from the original on 2 September 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  33. ^ "Tubular Bells: The Mike Oldfield Story". BBC. Archived from the original on 7 April 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  34. ^ "Richard Branson The P.T. Barnum of British Business". 2008. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  35. ^ Zeveloff, J. (May 2011). "Richard Branson: How a Cancelled Flight Led to the World's Greatest Travel Empire". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 4 December 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  36. ^ "Entrepreneur Guru Sir Richard Branson". EPN. 2 December 2012. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  37. ^ "NowMusic – The Home Of Hit Music » About NOW". 27 June 2012. Archived from the original on 27 June 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  38. ^ a b Leasca, Stacey (7 August 2019). "Richard Branson Has Been Married for 30 Years – These Are His Secrets to a Lasting Romance". Travel + Leisure. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
  39. ^ "NOW That's What I Call Music! turns 40 | Virgin". Virgin.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  40. ^ "Profile: Richard Branson". BBC News. 27 September 2004. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
  41. ^ "Richard Branson and Virgin-Probably Britains best known Entrepreneur". Solar Navigator.net. Archived from the original on 28 March 2010. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
  42. ^ "Virgin to run CrossCountry trains" Archived 7 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine The Independent 14 November 1996
  43. ^ "Virgin pledges tilt trains for West Coast" Archived 20 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine The Independent 31 January 1997
  44. ^ Branson's Virgin Group wins CrossCountry Trains for 15 years Rail issue 294 18 December 1996, p. 6
  45. ^ Virgin to tackle IC West Coast Rail Privatisation News issue 48, 20 February 1997, p. 1
  46. ^ Glendinning, Lee (2 August 2007). "Row over dirty tricks led to decade of hostilities". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 31 August 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  47. ^ Virgin Blue To Fly The Aussie Skies Virgin Blue 5 February 2000
  48. ^ Klotz, Irene (11 November 2013). "Profile : Sir Richard Branson, Founder, Virgin Galactic". Space News. Archived from the original on 27 November 2013. Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  49. ^ Boyle, Alan (9 November 2013). "First family of space: Richard Branson and kids will blaze new trail". NBC News. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  50. ^ Martin, Grant (4 August 2008). "Sir Richard Branson's Private Jet". Gadling. Archived from the original on 11 December 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  51. ^ "Windows Seat". Window Seat. 29 January 2011. Archived from the original on 11 December 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  52. ^ "Virgin Express creates Brussels airline". The Independent. 17 March 2004. Archived from the original on 4 May 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  53. ^ "Virgin to sell Nigerian airline". 8 June 2009. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  54. ^ "Scenes from Virgin America's inaugural flight (Aug. 8, 2007)". www.usatoday.com. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  55. ^ "Virgin America touches down for service from San Francisco". East Bay Times. 9 August 2007. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  56. ^ "Breakfast With Al Gore Persuades Branson to Pledge Billions to Global Warming". ABC News. 22 September 2006. Archived from the original on 21 October 2010. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  57. ^ "Come fly with me, come give it away". Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2006.
  58. ^ "Virgin Group to Invest $3 Billion in Renewable Energy". Archived from the original on 3 February 2012. Retrieved 12 October 2006.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  59. ^ Fryer, Pat (23 January 2007). "Uma Thurman to promote Virgin Media". earthtimes.org. Archived from the original on 10 October 2007. Retrieved 2 February 2007.
  60. ^ Teather, David (7 January 2006). "Branson launches Virgin Comics with India appeal". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 5 May 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  61. ^ Sunderland, Ruth (5 August 2007). "OFT defends 'snitch' policy". London. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  62. ^ "Sir Richard Branson's paradise island". CNN. 20 July 2011. Archived from the original on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 23 May 2012.
  63. ^ Thelwell, Emma (10 August 2007). "Virgin Group buys AirAsia X stake". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 19 May 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  64. ^ Teather, David; Finch, Julia; Wearden, Graeme (13 October 2007). "Branson dangles offer for Northern Rock". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 January 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  65. ^ Inman, Phillip (12 December 2007). "Northern Rock bidder threatens to pull out unless takeover date set, Business". The Guardian. UK. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  66. ^ "Richard Branson rules out further investment in Virgin Galactic". Financial Times. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  67. ^ Barker, Alex; Timmins, Nick (10 January 2008). "Branson launches healthcare business". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  68. ^ "Virgin amends its profit plans". / Healthcare Republic. 11 July 2008. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  69. ^ "Virgin drops GP practice plans". Nursing in Practice. 22 September 2008. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  70. ^ Branson's Virgin Group to sponsor Brawn GP Archived 12 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine, www.crash.net
  71. ^ Virgin Become Brawn Gp's Title Sponsor Archived 27 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Bleacher Report
  72. ^ "UpdateF1 >> Formula 1 News > FIA release 2010 entry list". Formula-1.updatesport.com. 12 June 2009. Archived from the original on 28 July 2009. Retrieved 1 November 2009.
  73. ^ "Virgin set for Manor GP move". Autosport. 3 July 2009. Archived from the original on 13 May 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  74. ^ "Richard Branson chooses Edinburgh for first UK Virgin hotel". February 2018. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  75. ^ Virgin's Sir Richard Branson turns stewardess after losing bet Archived 20 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News
  76. ^ Zuckermann, Ghil'ad (2003), Language Contact and Lexical Enrichment in Israeli Hebrew. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1403917232, 978-1403938695 [2] Archived 12 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine: "Richard Branson prefers jumpers to suits". p. 110
  77. ^ "Welcome!, 54th Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett 2010 Official Site". Gordonbennett2010.com. Archived from the original on 2 October 2010. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  78. ^ "NHS patients to be treated by Virgin Care in £500m deal". The Daily Telegraph. 30 March 2012. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  79. ^ "Overview – Virgin Care Ltd – NHS Choices". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  80. ^ Amos, Jonathan (11 July 2012). "Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic to launch small satellites". BBC News. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  81. ^ "Virgin Galactic relaunches its smallsat launch business". NewSpace Journal. 12 July 2012. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
  82. ^ "West Coast Main Line deal scrapped after contract flaws discovered". BBC News. 3 October 2012. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  83. ^ "Richard Branson Explains Why He Just Invested in Drones". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 19 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  84. ^ "Winners of Richard Branson's "Foodpreneur" competition announced". 22 September 2014. Archived from the original on 6 July 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  85. ^ "Virgin StartUp's Foodpreneur Festival whet the appetite of hundreds of food and drink entrepreneurs across the UK last Friday as the Festival brought them together for a series of insightful workshops and seminars from the industry's best and brightest". Archived from the original on 6 July 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  86. ^ "More seats, more services and new trains for East Coast passengers" Archived 5 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine Department for Transport, 27 November 2014.
  87. ^ Stagecoach and Virgin win East Coast mainline rail franchise Archived 28 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine BBC News 27 November 2014
  88. ^ "East Coast train line to be put into public control". BBC News. 12 February 2018. Archived from the original on 14 November 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  89. ^ McLennan, Leah (16 November 2015). "Inside Richard Branson's new $66,000 a night luxury island hideaway". News.com.au. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  90. ^ "Hyperloop One Is Now 'Virgin Hyperloop One' Thanks to Richard Branson's Investment". Fortune. 12 October 2017. Archived from the original on 13 October 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  91. ^ "New Chairman, New Funding, & New Speed Records". Hyperloop One. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  92. ^ "Virgin StartUp and Intu have named The Snaffling Pig Co as the winners of Virgin Foodpreneur 2017". Archived from the original on 6 July 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  93. ^ "Being a shark on shark day". Archived from the original on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  94. ^ "Locker Board on 'Shark Tank': A Look Inside the Skateboard that Fits in a Locker". October 2017. Archived from the original on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  95. ^ "How an Actual Elevator Pitch Led This 12-Year-Old Entrepreneur to Appear on Shark Tank and Partner With Richard Branson". 4 October 2017. Archived from the original on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  96. ^ Alexander, Jeremy (4 October 2017). "Portable Skateboard for Your Locker on Shark Tank – Locker Board". HuffPost. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  97. ^ "Shark Tank: Net Worth of All Sharks on the Show Till Date". Tell Me Nothing. 27 March 2017. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017.
  98. ^ Lawson, Scott (12 April 2018). "Business Mogul Richard Branson Buys Las Vegas Casino-Hotel". Online-Casinos.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  99. ^ "Richard Branson to launch investment fund". BBC News. 3 May 2018. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  100. ^ "Richard Branson makes his first move into private equity". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  101. ^ "Sir Richard Branson 'seconds from death' on charity Mont Blanc climb". Sky News. Archived from the original on 29 October 2018. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  102. ^ Harvey, Fiona (19 May 2020). "Lockdowns trigger dramatic fall in global carbon emissions". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  103. ^ Dawkins, David (16 March 2020). "Bad Times For Billionaire Branson – Staff At Virgin Atlantic Asked To Take Unpaid Leave As Coronavirus Cripples Air Travel". Forbes. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  104. ^ Read, Simon (20 April 2020). "Branson offers Caribbean island to secure bailout". BBC News. Archived from the original on 20 April 2020. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  105. ^ Sillars, James (21 April 2020). "Coronavirus: Sir Richard Branson offers tropical island home to secure Virgin rescue". Sky News. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  106. ^ Schlappig, Ben (11 August 2021). "Virgin Atlantic Leaving Gatwick, Retiring 747s, Laying Off 3,150 Staff". One Mile at a Time. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  107. ^ "Virgin Atlantic to cut 3,000 jobs and quit Gatwick". BBC News. 5 May 2020.
  108. ^ Wattles, Jackie (9 July 2021). "Everything you need to know about Richard Branson going to space". CNN. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  109. ^ a b Bower, Tom (12 February 2017). "Virgin's Robinson Crusoe is desperate to be adored". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 12 February 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.(subscription required)
  110. ^ Preston, Jack (18 January 2016). "Six memorable Virgin fails". virgin.com. Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  111. ^ Branson, Richard (2013). Like a Virgin. Great Britain: Virgin Books. p. 62. ISBN 978-0753519929.
  112. ^ McKenzie, Sheena (25 April 2013) "Back to the future for Richard Branson's retro 80s speedboat Archived 2 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine". CNN. Retrieved 30 April 2014.
  113. ^ "Hot-Air Balloonists Crossing Atlantic Break Record". Los Angeles Times. 3 July 1987. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 10 September 2014.
  114. ^ Roberts, Rich (23 January 1991). "Floating into a Nightmare : Two Barely Survive 6,700-Mile Flight Across Pacific in 220-Foot Balloon". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 7 October 2019.
  115. ^ "Branson sets cross-Channel record". BBC News. 14 June 2004. Archived from the original on 31 August 2007. Retrieved 13 June 2007.
  116. ^ "Crossing the Channel in Car Boats! (HQ) – Top Gear – Series 10 – BBC". YouTube. 17 July 2014. Archived from the original on 23 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  117. ^ Nichols, Michelle (3 September 2008). "Richard Branson sets out to crack transatlantic sail record". meeja.com.au. Archived from the original on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2008.
  118. ^ "Virgin Money Is Attempting to Break Transatlantic Passage Record". nyyc.org. 23 October 2008. Archived from the original on 23 December 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2008.
  119. ^ "on". Saturdaymornings.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  120. ^ "BA cuts Branson from Bond movie". BBC News. 21 April 2007. Archived from the original on 10 January 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  121. ^ "Colbert Report – Richard Branson". Comedy Central. 26 May 2011. Archived from the original on 26 December 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
  122. ^ "Neha Dhupia swept off her feet by Richard Branson : Bollywood News". ApunKaChoice.Com. 4 March 2008. Archived from the original on 13 May 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  123. ^ "Show Pages – MainSail". 31 May 2011. Archived from the original on 27 April 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  124. ^ TheHyperbot1 (22 April 2011). "Branson, Winslet – Titanic Scene". Archived from the original on 10 July 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2011 – via YouTube.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  125. ^ Emami, Gazelle (17 August 2011). "Morgan Spurlock 'A Day in the Life': Original Series Premieres on Hulu" (video). HuffPost. Archived from the original on 7 October 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
  126. ^ "Britain's biggest stars record iconic poem 'If' as tribute to Olympic heroes". Yahoo!. 10 November 2014. Archived from the original on 23 November 2016. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  127. ^ "Losing My Virginity – How I've Survived, Had Fun, And Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way, Richard Branson, 1999". Bestsellersreviews.com. 3 July 2010. Archived from the original on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
  128. ^ Branson, Richard (10 October 2007). "My Friend, Steve Fossett". Time. Archived from the original on 13 December 2007. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  129. ^ Help Free The Children With Richard Branson Archived 31 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine, www.looktothestars.org
  130. ^ "International Children's Organization Expands Global Reach With Four New Board Members". Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  131. ^ Branson, Eve (2013). Mum's the Word: The High-Flying Adventures of Eve Branson. AuthorHouse. p. 207. ISBN 978-1477245811.
  132. ^ a b Burn-Callander, Rebecca (January 2014). "Sir Richard Branson interview – Vision Magazine". Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  133. ^ "Virgin Unite". Virgin Unite. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  134. ^ Ruddick, Graham (25 July 2009). "Sir Richard Branson teaches African entrepreneurs Dragons' Den-style". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 28 February 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  135. ^ Richard Branson appearances booking agent Archived 24 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine, www.athletepromotions.com
  136. ^ Sorkin, Andrew Ross (22 March 2008), "Thinking Green While Sifting Through the Sand", The New York Times. Archived 27 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine.
  137. ^ "Farrow ends Darfur protest fast" (Press release). BBC. 9 May 2009. Archived from the original on 16 May 2009. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  138. ^ New York Times: "Branson Charity Focuses Aid Effort on Zimbabwe" By Stephanie Strom Archived 9 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine 20 September 2010
  139. ^ "Group Offers Plan to Eliminate Nukes by 2030" (PDF). The New York Times. 29 June 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 May 2011.
  140. ^ Corera, Gordon (10 December 2008). "Group seeks nuclear weapons ban". BBC News. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  141. ^ Clift, Eleanor. "A Good Start: 'Global Zero' reminds us that eradicating nuclear weapons should still be our ultimate goal". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  142. ^ "Commissioners". Broadbandcommission.org. Archived from the original on 14 May 2010. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
  143. ^ Smith, Phillip (27 January 2011). "Ex-World Leaders Form Global Drug Policy Commission". stopthedrugwar.org. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2011.
  144. ^ "Richard Branson condemns Uganda over anti-gay bill". Global Post. 26 December 2013. Archived from the original on 5 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  145. ^ "Say No Campaign". African Wildlife Foundation. Archived from the original on 5 October 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  146. ^ "The death penalty has no place in the world". Virgin.com. 30 September 2015. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  147. ^ "Pope Francis and Sir Richard Branson appeal for Oklahoma inmate's life". The Guardian. London. 30 September 2015. Archived from the original on 15 February 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  148. ^ "Nagaenthran Dharmalingam: Singapore halts execution of man with low IQ". BBC News. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  149. ^ "Tycoon Branson raps 'Singapore's relentless machinery of death' after Nagaenthran's execution". Malaysia Now. 28 April 2022. Archived from the original on 28 April 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  150. ^ "Ministry of Home Affairs' Response to Sir Richard Branson's Blog Post on 10 October 2022". Ministry of Home Affairs, Singapore (Press release). 22 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  151. ^ "My response to Singapore's Home Affairs Minister on the death penalty | Virgin". Virgin.com. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  152. ^ "'In the coming days, Singapore may kill an innocent man': Richard Branson on Tangaraju Suppiah's upcoming execution". Coconuts. 24 April 2023.
  153. ^ "Singapore to execute woman on drugs charge for the first time in 20 years". BBC News. 27 July 2023.
  154. ^ "Singapore executes first woman in nearly two decades for drug trafficking". CNN. 28 July 2023.
  155. ^ "Richard Branson temporarily suspends ties with Saudi government". CNN. 11 October 2018. Archived from the original on 12 October 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  156. ^ "The CIA blames MBS for the murder of Jamal Khashoggi". The Economist. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
  157. ^ "Patti Grace Smith Fellowship". Patti Grace Smith Fellowship. Retrieved 29 December 2020.
  158. ^ "Richard Branson becomes an Ambassador for the UNITED24 fundraising platform". u24.gov.ua. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
  159. ^ "Helping children with cancer in Ukraine | Virgin". Virgin.com. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
  160. ^ "Branson makes $3bn climate pledge". BBC News. 21 September 2006. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  161. ^ Revkin, Andrew C. (21 September 2006). "Branson Pledges Billions to Fight Global Warming". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  162. ^ "Richard Branson failed to deliver on $3bn climate change pledge". The Guardian. 13 September 2014. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  163. ^ Klein, Naomi (2014). This Changes Everything.[ISBN missing][page needed]
  164. ^ Josephson, Kimberlee (20 August 2022). "How Richard Branson's Space Flights Reveal the Inherent Problem With 'Business Impact Initiatives' | Kimberlee Josephson". fee.org. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  165. ^ Gilchrist, Karen (20 April 2022). "Richard Branson says individuals, governments should cap their energy use to help end the war in Ukraine". CNBC. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  166. ^ Byers, David (3 December 2005). "Britsaver – an accident waiting to happen". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
  167. ^ Heintke, Martina. "Sir Richard Branson". Archived from the original on 17 August 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
  168. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "BBC 1997 General Election – Part One". 20 September 2017 – via www.youtube.com.
  169. ^ "Labour and Tories same – Branson". BBC News. 15 April 2005. Archived from the original on 21 November 2005. Retrieved 23 September 2006.
  170. ^ "Do Blacks Need a New London Mayor?". Archived from the original on 3 October 2006. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
  171. ^ "Londoners snub politicians for mayor". BBC News. 28 April 1998. Archived from the original on 20 July 2004. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
  172. ^ "Who's in the running for mayor?". BBC News. 10 April 1998. Archived from the original on 12 September 2007. Retrieved 27 August 2007.
  173. ^ Wintour, Patrick. "UK should begin decriminalising drugs, say Richard Branson and Nick Clegg". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 June 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  174. ^ Stadlen, Matthew. "An EU vote? ridiculous" Archived 23 November 2018 at the Wayback Machine. The Telegraph. 26 October 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  175. ^ "Richard Branson: Virgin Group lost a third of value since Brexit vote" (video). The Guardian. 28 June 2016. Archived from the original on 28 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  176. ^ Branson, R. Virgin Archived 17 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine 14 October 2016.
  177. ^ "Duterte's war on drugs is not the answer by Richard Branson". Global Commission on Drug Policy. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  178. ^ "To the President of the Philippines" (in Spanish). International Drug Policy Consortium. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  179. ^ "Sir Richard Branson declines Singapore death penalty TV debate invitation". BBC News. 31 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  180. ^ "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
  181. ^ "Keynote Speaker Videos on Trend Hunter". keynotes.org. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 17 December 2015.
  182. ^ Official announcement knighthood Archived 22 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine. The London Gazette. 30 December 1999.
  183. ^ "New Years Honours". BBC News. 31 December 1999. Archived from the original on 13 January 2007. Retrieved 23 September 2006.
  184. ^ "Virgin tycoon is knighted". BBC News. 30 March 2000. Archived from the original on 9 January 2003. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
  185. ^ Sprekelmeyer, Linda, editor. These We Honor: The International Aerospace Hall of Fame. Donning Co. Publishers, 2006. ISBN 978-1578643974.[page needed]
  186. ^ "The 2007 Time 100". Time. Archived from the original on 11 December 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  187. ^ "United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA) Awards Citizen of the World to Richard Branson and Honours Other Leading Journalists". MaximsNews Network. 7 December 2007. Archived from the original on 9 December 2007. Retrieved 12 December 2007.
  188. ^ "La première assurance pour les voyageurs de l'espace voit le jour". Le Parisien (in French). 14 November 2011. Archived from the original on 19 June 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
  189. ^ "The Recording Academy, Clive Davis Partner For Pre-GrammyGala". The Grammys. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  190. ^ Sir Richard Branson Awarded the Title of Honorary Doctor of KTU | Kaunas University of Technology Archived 2 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine. En.ktu.lt. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  191. ^ "Meet the 2014 Honourees | Business for Peace Foundation". Businessforpeace.no. 11 April 2014. Archived from the original on 27 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  192. ^ "Richard Branson Tops 'Most Admired' Boss Poll". Sky News. Archived from the original on 3 June 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  193. ^ "LGBT ally Branson leads OUTstanding Allies rankings". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  194. ^ "British Entrepreneurs Top 100: From Lord Sugar to Victoria Beckham, These Are the Most Influential Entrepreneurs in the UK". Richtopia. Archived from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  195. ^ "Helen Clark: Speech presenting Sir Richard Branson with the International Crisis Group Chairman's Award "In Pursuit of Peace" Awards Dinner". UNDP. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  196. ^ Southern, Keiran (16 October 2018). "Sir Richard Branson honoured with Hollywood Walk of Fame star". Irish Independent. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  197. ^ a b Weissmann, Jordan (27 May 2014). "A Portrait of the Billionaire as a Young Tax Cheat". Slate. Archived from the original on 2 June 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  198. ^ a b "Richard Branson : From Tax Fraud to Billionaire · Guardian Liberty Voice". 29 May 2014. Archived from the original on 5 February 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  199. ^ "The Sunday Times Rich List 2019: Sir Richard Branson net worth". The Sunday Times. 12 May 2019. ISSN 0140-0460. Archived from the original on 30 July 2019. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  200. ^ Chakrabortty, Aditya (21 November 2011). "Is Richard Branson all he's cracked up to be?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2013. Branson's reply is here [3] Archived 13 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine.
  201. ^ Chakrabortty, Aditya (24 June 2013). "Don't be fooled by Richard Branson's defence of Virgin trains". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 1 October 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2013. Branson's response is here [4] Archived 13 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine.
  202. ^ Chakrabortty, Aditya (10 June 2013). "The truth about Richard Branson's Virgin Rail profits". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 August 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  203. ^ Garside, Juliette (13 October 2013). "Richard Branson denies being a tax exile". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2013.
  204. ^ Gribben, Roland (13 October 2013). "I've been a tax exile for seven years, says Branson". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  205. ^ Fenwick, Jack (28 August 2016). "'Tax exile' Richard Branson facing calls for his knighthood to be scrapped". Archived from the original on 5 February 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  206. ^ "Piers Morgan interviews Richard Branson, Richard talks about death of baby". Baby Chums. 22 February 2009. Archived from the original on 12 October 2009. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  207. ^ "65 things you've always wanted to know about Richard Branson". Virgin. 17 July 2015. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  208. ^ "Hurricane Irma wrecks Sir Richard Branson's Necker Island home". BBC News. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  209. ^ "Twenty people escape fire at Branson's holiday home". BBC News. August 2011. Archived from the original on 30 November 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  210. ^ Branson, Richard (11 January 2021). "Celebrating my mum, Eve Branson | Virgin". Virgin.com. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  211. ^ "If This Were Anyone Else, It Would All Be Very Strange". aero-news.net. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  212. ^ "Old Stoics have birthday Teese". London Evening Standard. 15 October 2013. Archived from the original on 23 October 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  213. ^ "About". Stowe School – Old Stoics. Archived from the original on 4 September 2019. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  214. ^ a b Sawer, Patrick (25 November 2017). "Sir Richard Branson has 'no recollection' of alleged incident at Necker Island". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  215. ^ "Richard Branson apologises after singer alleges assault". Digital Spy. 25 November 2017. Archived from the original on 3 November 2018. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  216. ^ "Branson sets kitesurfing record". BBC News. 1 July 2012. Archived from the original on 17 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  217. ^ "Branson: How 3 Bikini-Clad Women Helped Me Set Another Guinness World Record". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 6 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  218. ^ "Richard Branson goes kiteboarding with girls on his back". Surfertoday. 26 March 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  219. ^ "Sir Richard Branson 'thought he would die in bike crash". BBC News. 26 August 2016. Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
  220. ^ "Richard Branson's reading influences". Infloox.com. Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2013.
  221. ^ Branson, Richard (2011) [2006]. Screw It, Let's Do It: Lessons in Life. New York: Random House. p. 105. ISBN 978-0753547458. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  222. ^ Branson, Richard (12 November 2012). "Richard Branson on How to Use Age to Your Advantage". Entrepreneur. Archived from the original on 1 December 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  223. ^ Gardner, Chris (5 January 2006). "Branson Taking a Passage to India". Variety. Archived from the original on 5 August 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  224. ^ "Branson Enters Comics with Virgin Comics, Virgin Animation". Newsarama. Archived from the original on 11 January 2006. Retrieved 7 February 2008.
  225. ^ The Virgin Way: If It's Not Fun, It's Not Worth Doing. Portfolio. 20 October 2015. ISBN 978-1591847984.
  226. ^ The Virgin Way: Everything I Know About Leadership. Portfolio. 9 September 2014. ISBN 978-1591847373.
[edit]
Listen to this article (33 minutes)
Spoken Wikipedia icon
This audio file was created from a revision of this article dated 8 May 2012 (2012-05-08), and does not reflect subsequent edits.