Sir Richard Branson
Businessman and Philanthropist
He struggled at school and dropped out aged 16, but the rest, as they say, is history. Fending for himself, the teenage Sir Richard Branson founded a mail-order record company which has developed into today’s multinational giant Virgin, comprising more than 200 companies in 30 countries, including Branson’s space tourism company Virgin Galactic. But his entrepreneurial spirit didn’t stop there, and he expanded his business to Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Megastores and Virgin Radio. Sir Richard is also known for his sporting achievements across air and ocean, and was knighted in 1999 for his services to entrepreneurship. Furthermore, Branson is one of the donors to and originators of the idea for The Elders, announced by Nelson Mandela as a small, dedicated group of leaders, working objectively and without any vested personal interest to solve difficult global conflicts. He is also a signatory of the Giving Pledge, whereby wealthy individuals commit to donating at least half their wealth to philanthropy.
